Persona 3: How It Came To Be - CharlesUK (2024)

10 years.

10 years since the accident.

10 years since he lost his parents.

10 years since he lost his sister.

Ever since then, he was alone.

Minato Arisato was a boy not liked by many. Growing up, he always feared moving to new schools, thinking the other kids would pick on him. He often remained on his own, which only worsened his mental stability. There were days when he would stand by the side of a bridge or the pavement of the road, wondering what would have happened, had he taken that last step. Being the only survivor took a toll on him, one that left an impression on him for the rest of his life.

4/7/2009 - Late Evening

(Minato's POV)

Minato sat to himself on the train, listening to the various songs on his mp3 player. He thought about what he was told by that representative of the Kirijo Group.

"You will be transferred to Gekkoukan High School on Tatsumi Port Island, and you will stay in the Iwatodai Dormitory."

The Kirijo Group had always kept an eye on him after the accident. He had always wondered why, but he never asked. He knew they were a massive trading company operating in many countries, so the fact that they had always checked up on him was odd. Why would a company that large care about an orphan like him?

It was getting late. Almost midnight.

"Iwatodai Station. This is Iwatodai Station." The announcement was barely comprehensible, but the signs on the station platform confirmed that this was his stop.

As he disembarked from the train, Minato cycled through the songs on the mp3 player strung around his neck until he found the one he was looking for.

Burn My Dread

Minato was always fond of this song. He was unsure of its symbolism, but he appreciated the song's rhythm and style.

Minato walked through the turnstiles to finally meet the streets of Iwatodai, but then...

BONG

The sound of a single bell, and everything fell silent. Even Minato's mp3 player stopped. The moonlight changed from a glistening white to an ominous green, red pools of liquid began to form, and the appearance of coffins from where people once stood. This experience would make anyone terrified. Minato, however, remained unfazed. He had already experienced this, day after day, for the last 10 years. After embracing this change of environment, he began to walk in the direction to his new place of residence.

55 minutes later - Iwatodai Dorm

He made it. Iwatodai Dorm. This was where he would be staying until he eventually gets moved around again, as is his normal. Accepting this new life, he opened the door and took 2 steps into the dorm, only to find no one there.

No one, except for a boy suddenly appearing in front him.

"Hey there." The boys voice was raspy, as if he spent his whole life coughing. "I was hoping you'd come back."

Before Minato could process this, the boy vanished, only for him to appear again behind Minato, placing a piece of paper and a pen on the counter beside him.

"Sign here." The boy motioned his finger towards the contract he placed. "And accept that all the choices you make are yours."

Minato was unbothered by the boy's choice of words, as he began to sign the contract placed before him.

Minato Arisato

The young boy took the contract from the counter and stared at Minato.

"Thank you. I hope to see you again soon." The boy vanished again from Minato, but didn't return.

As he processed what had just happened, he noticed a girl standing by the stairs infront of him.

"What are you doing here!?" The girl shouted towards Minato, her right hand hovering over... the holster of a gun? Despite Minato's stoic nature, this somewhat shocked him internally.

Before getting a chance to answer, another voice came from behind her.
"That's enough." As soon as that sentence was finished, the lights flicker back on. "You must be Arisato, correct? You are here later than expected." The voice came from another girl, walking towards him "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, a third year at Gekkoukan High School. And this is Yukari Takeba, a second year like yourself." She turned around slightly and motioned her arm towards the brunette behind her. "Welcome to the Iwatodai Dormitory."

Kirijo? Like the Group? Minato was not told anything about who he was sharing the dorm with, so this came as a slight surprise. The Kirijo girl was about the same height as him, although that could be because of those shoes she is wearing. Her hair was a bright and vibrant red, swaying behind her head and covering her left eye, with eyes and lipstick to match. The expression on her face was almost as stoic as his, but he noticed a slight amount of... concern?

"You are probably exhausted. Takeba will show you to your room." The way Mitsuru spoke seemed extremely formal, which was to be expected, considering her family.

"Thank you." Minato responded, bowing slightly and with a facial expression not too dissimilar from a smile, but enough to show that it wasn't.

Mitsuru smiled slightly back at him before walking back upstairs, assumingly back to her room. Takeba-san turned toward Minato, with a neutral expression on her face. "Alright, follow me."

After making it to his room, Yukari gave the ground rules of the dorm.
"This floor is where the boys sleep, and the floor above is where the girls sleep." She looked distressed, perhaps regretting how she and Minato first met each other. "Did you see anything weird coming here? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Minato had nothing to respond to that. What he experienced was ordinary to him, apart from the boy that appeared, yet he didn't know if he should share that detail.

"Well, okay." Takeba-san continued to look distressed. "Sorry for earlier by the way." She began to walk away before turning around again. "Hey, could you not mention this to anyone at school tomorrow?"

Minato responded with a simple "Alright", which calmed Yukari's nerves. She gestured a good night towards him before heading upstairs, and Minato went to sleep in his room, exhausted after the day he had.

Iwatodai Dorm Control Room

(Mitsuru's POV)

Before heading to bed herself, Mitsuru Kirijo wanted to read the file she had on Minato one more time.

Arisato, Minato

Father (DECEASED), Mother (DECEASED), Sister (DECEASED)

REASON: Incident at Moonlight Bridge, 1999

Reading that made her expression worsen, for this boy had his life ruined by the Kirijo Group. She had considered numerous times to reject him staying at the dorm, just so he could stay away from the mess her family caused. But he had the potential. As much as she wanted to keep him safe, she knew that the Group needed him more. She wrestled similar emotions regarding Yukari's joining. Her father was the lead researcher behind the experiment that caused the incident, and he did not survive the explosion. Why was it them, who suffered from the Kirijo Group's actions, when it could've been anyone else? Why did they have to clean up her grandfather's mistakes?

She knew her feelings on this matter, but she couldn't deny that without them, they wouldn't be able to fix what the Group had done.

After reading the file one more time, she stored it away and went to her room.

4/8/2009 - Early Morning

(Minato's POV)

Minato never slept well. The reoccurring nightmares surrounding that fateful day haunted him. He remembers the position his father was in, impaled by some metal debris. He remembers the face of his mother, lifeless, staring right at him. He remembers the blood of his sister on his hands and face as he clutched her in his arms. No matter how much he cleaned himself, he could never get rid of that feeling. He always wished he was taken with them, and wished for God to give him a reason why they were taken, and he survived. But he never got an answer.

Minato wiped his eyes from the tears he thought he felt, but there was none. He had never cried after that day, 10 years ago.

He turned his body to the side so he could see the clock on his nightstand. It read 5:27. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get any more sleep, he went to the lounge and made himself breakfast.

2 and a half hours later

Minato was in his room, changed into his school uniform. He was listening to the songs on his mp3 player before he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey. It's Takeba. Are you up?"

Minato got up from his bed and opened the door to greet Yukari.

"Senpai wanted me to show you the way to school. Are you ready?" Yukari had enthusiasm in her voice, as she was excited for the new school year. Yukari Takeba was a few inches shorter than Minato, but not enough to make him have to look down with his neck. Her brunette hair was cut short, by the shoulders, and her bangs covered her forehead, but not enough to block her eyes. She wore a pink sweater and a pink choker together, giving Minato the implication that she likes the colour pink.

Minato responded with a short and simple "Yeah", and followed Yukari to school.

On the way there, Yukari told Minato about what the school was like, and how the days normally were. As they rode the train, she made sure to point out the view of the ocean. She mentioned to Minato that the Kirijo Group funded Gekkoukan, and that they built the area it was on, Tatsumi Port Island. Minato wasn't used to someone talking to him like this, as normally the second someone tries to chat with him they usually back away as they didn't appreciate his company. Yukari was different though, at least at first glance. Perhaps she was trying to make up for how they first met each other last night.

After making it to Tatsumi Port Station and walking a few minutes, they approached the gates of Gekkoukan High School. Yukari ran in front of him and turned around, wanting to give him a first presentation of the school.
"Welcome to Gekkoukan High School, Arisato-san. I hope you enjoy it!" She had a smile on her face as she said that, making Minato reciprocate with at least an imitation of a smile, enough so that she doesn't suspect anything. She said to Minato that he should go to the faculty office on the first floor to find his homeroom teacher, and left to find her friends.

Minato walked through the front entrance and made his way to the faculty office. He received some glares from students, assuming it was because of his demeanour. He caught an eye of the sheet which shows what classes everyone will be located. Minato glanced at it only so he can find his name. He saw he was in Class 2-F, and, coincidentally enough, Yukari was in the same homeroom, with the teacher Ms. Toriumi.

After going to the faculty office and greeting Ms. Toriumi, Minato made his way to class, catching even more glares in the process.

Class 2-F

Minato found his homeroom, and upon entering it, he continued to receive stares from classmates. He wasn't bothered by it however, at the very most he was just curious why.

Not many people had sat down yet, so he decided to take an empty seat close to the front of the class. As he pulled out his supplies, someone entered from the door infront of him, in a quite overly eager way. He was a taller student, taller than most of the other students. He wore his blazer and shirt unbuttoned, revealing a dark blue undershirt, which matched the baseball cap he was wearing. This student noticed Minato sitting on his own, so he went to introduce himself.

"Hey! The name's Junpei. Junpei Iori. You can just call me Junpei." He held out his hand in the shape of a fist, assumingly wanting a fist bump. Minato, not wanting to be impolite to him, obliged.

"Arisato." He bumped Junpei's fist half-heartedly, but Junpei didn't notice the lack of enthusiasm from that. He noticed it from where Minato was sitting.

"Hey. Why are you sitting here on your own? Don't you wanna talk to people?" Junpei asked with a half curious and half concerned expression.

"I'm not bothered"

Junpei scanned the classroom, noticing that almost all of the students currently in there are staring at Minato.

But then he remembered why. He heard a description from someone that a 'blue haired emo boy' walked to school with Yukari. As soon as he was going to ask, Yukari walked into the class.

Immediately, all the glares directed towards Minato shifted towards Yukari. Minato gathered that she must be popular.

She turned away from all of the prying eyes and walked towards Minato, noticing Junpei with him aswell.

"Junpei, what are you doing to him?" Yukari asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"Hey, Yuka-tan! I heard you walked with this guy to school today. You two a thing or something?" Junpei teased.

"What?! No, that's not true. He just moved into the dorm with us!"

Minato exhaled quickly through his nose, as if he was trying to imitate a laugh. Junpei was disappointed with the news, but before he could ask anything else, the bell rang and class began.

4/8/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Even with the constant stares Minato was getting, he got through school without any issues.

Minato had already left the classroom, so he went back to the dorm on his own. He entered through the double doors only to be greeted by Mitsuru.

"Welcome back Arisato. Did you enjoy your first day?" The look of concern from yesterday remained on her face.

Minato recognised this expression, and not wanting to disappoint her, he simply responded "It was alright."

Mitsuru didn't fully believe this response, yet if he were hiding something, she didn't want to pry.
"Very well. You should probably go to bed early. Transitioning schools is not easy on anyone."

Minato noticed he was still tired, so he agreed with her. "I'll do that. Thank you Kirijo-senpai." Bowing slightly to show respect.

"You can refer to me as Mitsuru-senpai if you would prefer."

Minato's silver eyes slightly widened. He hoped Mitsuru hadn't noticed his change in expression, but knowing the Kirijo's, she probably did.
"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai." He made the same imitated smile he performed when first meeting her, but it seemed wider to her than the previous one.

After their brief conversation, Minato went to head for his room whilst Mitsuru continued reading her book.

Minato's Room

Minato prepared himself for bed. He stood infront of his mirror and took off his shirt and blazer, revealing a slender frame. Minato gazed at himself, remembering the trauma. The upper half of his left arm was warped and burnt, for when he tried crawling out of the wreckage of his parents' car. The other arm was covered in cuts, by his own doing, and extended down to his forearm, and onto his torso and stomach. Minato hated himself. He hated that he was forced to live whilst the rest of his family died. He hated his continued existence. He just wanted it to stop.

4/8/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Dark Hour

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru was sat in the control room, staring at the screen infront of her. Yukari was with her, as well as the school chairman, Shuji Ikutsuki.

"So he isn't affected by the Dark Hour." Ikutsuki mumbled. They were all staring at Minato sleeping on the monitor, seeing that he hadn't turned into a coffin.

Ikutsuki explained that not everyone is conscious during the Dark Hour, and those that aren't are turned into coffins, or 'transmogrified'.

Mitsuru was conflicted. She didn't like spying on Minato, and she was certain Yukari felt the same.

"It feels wrong to be spying on him like this." Yukari said, confirming Mitsuru's assumption.

"It may be, but we needed to confirm if he is capable of having the potential. Now that we know that he is, we just need to wait for if he can use it." Ikutsuki tried to reassure the girls, but was somewhat unsuccessful as they still had doubts.

Mitsuru was the only one of the three who knew of Minato's past. Yukari had only recently joined the group, not long before him, and Mitsuru knew something of this nature shouldn't be shared without his approval. Ikutsuki, despite being the school chairman, didn't have high enough clearance within the Kirijo Group to view his files. She was the only one who knew of his trauma. She just didn't know how deep it hurt him.

(Minato's POV)

Once again, Minato had trouble sleeping. Yet this time, it felt different. He tossed and turned, trying to be somewhat comfortable on his bed, until he felt his environment shift and change around him.

He opened his eyes, and found himself sitting on a chair, inside an unusually large elevator. Opposite to him were 2 people, one of whom being an elderly man, hunched over with no hair to be seen on his scalp, but instead on the sides of his head. In particular, he had an extremely long nose, which looked to be longer than his head. Beside him was a pale woman with blonde hair and yellow eyes, wearing a blue dress with circular patterns down the middle, and a blue cap.

The old man spoke first. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. And this is Elizabeth"

Minato had nothing to say. This is something he hadn't experienced before.

Igor conjures something in the palm of his hand. "In time, you will become accustomed to a new power." He reveals the item to be the contract Minato signed. "This is proof of your commitment. Go, and let your choices guide you."

Elizabeth chimes in "Take this, you will need it in the future". She hands what appears to be a key, but Minato was not told of its purpose before being sent out of the mysterious room.

Minato woke up immediately after being sent back to his room. His head was spinning and he felt like vomiting. He was able to resist the urge, but was left with a million questions. Who were those people? What did they mean by a new power? Minato went to hold his head, but felt something in his hand. He knew what it was the second he recognised it in his hand. How did he bring that key here? He had too many questions, and was unsure if he would get answers.

4/9/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Late Evening

Minato's second day at school was no different than his first. But Junpei kept him back, intending to go to Paulownia Mall to hang out. Whilst Minato wasn't excited about this, he didn't want to be rude to him, since he's been making an effort unlike kids in the past. They went to the arcade together before making their separate ways, leading Minato back to the dorm, albeit much later than expected, to once again be greeted by Mitsuru.

"Welcome back Arisato." That same look of concern appeared on her face again. Was it truly concern? Or was it how her face normally is? "I understand that sometimes you will be late back to the dorm, but I would appreciate if this doesn't become consistent."

"Sorry, Mitsuru-senpai." Minato's response was full of exhaustion. After the 'dream' he had, he couldn't sleep. Mitsuru noticed this.

"Is everything okay, Arisato?" Mitsuru's concern became more apparent. "Are you having difficulty with transitioning to Gekkoukan?"

"I'm fine senpai"

She knew he was lying. He could tell. But she didn't press any further.

"Okay. Well I do recommend you go rest. You must be tired after today."

Minato nodded in response, and left to his room. She sighed when he was out of earshot, knowing that something was troubling him, but Mitsuru knew she couldn't say anything.

A couple hours later

Mitsuru was reading as someone made their way downstairs.

"I'm heading out."

Mitsuru looked up to see her friend, Akihiko Sanada, walking towards the door.

"I need to train more. The Dark Hour gives me plenty of moving punching bags." Akihiko was rubbing his fists as he spoke, preparing them for a fight.

"Akihiko. Can I speak to you for a moment?" Her tone made it seem important.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Have you seen Arisato since he moved here?" Her concern for him remained even when he was not present.

"I haven't. I've been too busy with the boxing club to greet him."

"I see." Her face remained unchanged. Her concern for him ran deep. She felt incredible guilt for what he has been through.

Akihiko, however, remained clueless. He wasn't the greatest at understanding what girls were feeling. All that remained in his head is how efficient can one train before their body gives out.

"There have been more cases recently." His tone became serious. "Do you think it's because of them?"

"It must be. We must proceed with caution."

Akihiko nodded in response before leaving the dorm.

Mitsuru sighed.

She didn't know what to do.

But as she walked towards her room, a thought crossed her mind.

Why had she felt so strongly about this?

She didn't feel this way towards Yukari, and she has suffered too, thanks to the Kirijo Group.

So why?

What made her feel like this?

She sighed once more, and retired to her room.

4/9/2009 - Dark Hour

(Minato's POV)

Minato couldn't sleep. But that isn't new. He couldn't be bothered to try.

He turned towards his window, and stared at the moon. The green light emanating from it covered the city. Tonight was different though. It was a full moon. It looked beautiful, in a strange way.

Minato noticed his sleeve was rolled up, showing the burns. He sighed heavily, with the thought of his trauma still lurking in his mind.

BANG

A loud noise shook the dorm. Minato shot out of bed, trying to assess what was happening. As he stood straight, he could hear Mitsuru's voice.

"Arisato! You need to get out of here! It's dangerous!" There was a sense of urgency in her voice, pleading for him to escape.

Minato had no idea on how to respond to her, so he just complied and ran out of his room. However, as he ran towards the stairwell, he heard a scream coming from further up.

"Arisato! You cannot stop, you have to get out before you get hurt!"

He didn't listen to her that time, as he ran up the stairs, towards the roof top.

"Arisato, wait! Don't go out there!" Mitsuru-senpai was begging for him not to go. But Minato knew he had no other choice.

15 minutes earlier

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru was sat in the command room, alone, going over Minato's file once again. She wanted to understand how he was feeling, what demons he was wrestling under the surface. Maybe then, she can help him.

She continued to process the contents of the file, until she heard an alert through the command console. There was a large presence. And it was headed straight for the dorm. She tried to contact Akihiko, only for him to charge into the command room and slide down the door, clutching his ribs.

"Akihiko! What happened?!" She ran to him and held his shoulder as he winced in pain.

"There's a large Shadow. And it's coming here!"

Mitsuru's eyes widened. Before she could think of anything, Ikutsuki ran into the room aswell and slammed the door shut.

"What is going on out there?!" His voice was full of fear.

She scrambled towards the command console and attempted to contact Takeba. But what really was on her mind was Arisato. He was in danger, and he hasn't awoken to his potential yet! She told Yukari to head to the roof and investigate, and that she would join her shortly, but then her priority was getting Arisato out.

Current time

(Minato's POV)

Minato was staring at Yukari's body on the ground, not moving at all.

Oh.

Oh no.

It happened again.

He failed again.

He failed to help someone again.

He failed to save someone again!

He glanced upwards, gaining a view of something that could only be described as grotesque. He saw an arm... wait no... multiple arms... made out of some black ooze. The majority of them were holding swords. Some were acting as feet. One was holding a mask.

He looked towards his feet, and saw it.

The answer.

The answer to his problems.

The answer to his questions.

He kneeled down, and grasped it tight. There was an engraving on the slide.

S.E.E.S

A vision.

The boy.

From when he arrived.

"Go on."

He stared, but there was no thought past those eyes.

His heart raced.

His blood boiled.

His mind on fire.

He slowly raised it to his head.

He could feel the cold barrel pressed against his temple.

The boy again.

"You know what to do"

He couldn't take it.

He couldn't fail again.

He couldn't cause a death again.

His exasperated expression turned into a smile. Not like the ones he performed before. A real smile.

(Mitsuru's POV)

She stared at the screen, terrified.

The Kirijo Group was going to cause another death.

Worse, she was going to cause his death.

She wanted to help him.

She wanted to be there for him.

She wanted to save him.

She knew what she had to do.

But she was stopped.

The chairman stopped her.

He kept his eyes on the screen.

Akihiko kept his eyes on the screen.

She turned towards it.

And saw him.

(Minato's POV)

The smile stopped. But out came a word.

"Per...

so...

na..."

And he pulled the trigger.

His eyed glowed blue as a shock wave formed around him. Flames of various shades of blue enveloped him.

He heard a voice.

"I am thou...

Thou art I...

From the sea of thy soul, I cometh...

I am Orpheus, Master of Strings."

He had a smile on his face as this new feeling rushed over him.

But then something felt wrong.

His head throbbed. He could feel his heart trying to escape his chest.

He clutched his head in pain.

And he screamed.

(Mitsuru's POV)

He did it.

He awoke to his power.

But something felt wrong to her.

"Ngh... AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH"

Her eyes widened as much as they could.

She was scared.

For him.

(Minato's POV)

The flames surrounding him changed colour. What were once a heroic, hopeful blue, they shifted to a malicious purple.

And Orpheus...

Was torn to shreds from the inside.

But something emerged from the visceral scene. Something more...

Evil.

It was dressed in black, with a chain of coffins tied to it.

It had a metal face, reminiscent of a shark.

And it's sword was straight and serrated, as if it was made for pain.

Minato could form only 2 more words.

"Thanatos...

Kill..."

Minato never slept well. Even when comatose. Being trapped, alone with his mind, all he could think about was being...

There.

10 years ago

"They are both asleep on each other." Minato's mom was quiet, making sure she didn't wake her children.

Minato's father chuckled, peering in the rear view mirror to get a glance at his children.

Minato's bond with his twin sister was special. He knew how siblings were like in other homes, terrorising and tormenting each other.

Not them. He and Minako were inseparable.

But then there was a sound.

A loud sound.

A sound that had the same familiarity of the noises he heard when playing video games with his sister.

A sound he would never forget.

And before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt the largest force ever conceivable hit the car, sending it barrelling way off course onto the railing of the bridge.

He saw his father.

He wasn't moving.

He saw his mother.

She wasn't moving.

He felt something warm and wet on his head. He wiped it off, only to have a smudge appear on his hand.

He doesn't understand.

What happened?

But then he heard a very small moan to his left.

His sister.

Was moving.

He knew he had to get her out. His mind was racing, he was trying to think of something to do.

Anything.

He unbuckled his seat belt before he smashed his head on the roof of the car.

They were flipped on the road.

He reached for his sister's seat belt, carefully unbuckling it before letting her fall onto him to lessen the impact.

Minato felt warm.

No.

He felt hot.

Minato rapidly turned his head, trying to find the cause of this sensation.

He saw it.

It was on his car.

On his parents.

On his sister.

On him.

And it was angry.

He had to get out.

He looked behind him for any chance of escape, and saw the window was smashed to pieces. He clenched his sister tight in one arm as he used the other to crawl towards it.

But it hurt.

Shards were everywhere, blood was spilling.

But he was determined to save himself.

To save his sister.

He continued to crawl, reaching closer and closer to the window.

But his arm slipped on the pool of blood forming around him, and it hurt.

The metal was burning, and he just made contact with it on his arm.

Minato screamed in pain, for this was something he never even thought possible.

But he had to keep going.

For her.

Powering through the intense feeling on his left arm, he made it to the window and crawled out, dragging his sister out with him.

His breath was short.

His vision was blurry.

His mind was throbbing.

But he made it out, and he saved his sister.

He thought.

He held Minako in his arms. She wasn't moving.

Why wasn't she moving?

He noticed the object in her midsection, impaling her through and through.

He shook her hard and fast, trying to get a response.

There was none.

Her face was covered with blood. Minato didn't know who it belonged to.

He tried to talk to her, wanting her to say something.

She said nothing.

His words became louder. Angrier.

Still nothing.

He shouted and screamed for her.

Nothing.

He didn't speak another word, for Minato knew his efforts would be in vain.

He held her close to him, wishing for her to wake up. The blood on her face began falling down his own.

And his hands were drenched in hers.

Minato would never forget this feeling.

4/17/2009 - Tatsumi Port Hospital - Afternoon

Minato woke up in a bed unfamiliar to his own. He could barely see straight, his head spinning in circles.

He felt something in his arm, something sharp, but small. It was connected to something. He followed the line until he felt a plastic bag hung up, filled with some sort of liquid.

He knew where he was by that point. For that was how he knew where he was after the accident 10 years ago.

"You're awake." A voice came from his left side.

Minato turned around to see a figure, surrounded by sunlight. Was it finally his time? Was he finally getting the release he wished for?

His vision focused, trying to piece together what he was seeing. Their frame was sleek, and he could see shades of red. Or was it brown?

He tried harder. Their hair looked long, but he couldn't see anything hanging from behind.

Even harder. The features were becoming too obscure to identify. But there was something unmistakable. Their eyes were a perfect shade of red, pairing perfectly with the ribbon on their chest. It was Mitsuru-senpai.

"I'm glad you're awake. The doctors were worried you were going to be in a coma for a while." She looked exhausted, her eye lids struggling to stay open.

Minato winced as he struggled to sit up. Mitsuru's face returned to that concerned expression she had when he first arrived, but more pronounced.

"Senpai." Minato breathed heavily between words. "What happened to me?"

Her head sunk, presumably struggling to find the words.

"You awoke to what we call a Persona." Her face had a hint of disappointment. Was it directed towards him or herself? "It is a power we use to eliminate what we call Shadows"

Minato struggled to understand what his senpai was saying. Persona? Shadows?

She changed the topic to focus on him. "How are you feeling? It's been eight days since..." Her voice trailed off.

Eight days? He'd been unconscious for eight days?
"Like sh*t." Minato covered his head with his arm, trying to suppress the headaches he was receiving.

Mitsuru's concerned expression didn't waver.
"When people awake to their Persona, It is usually taxing on their body. Your awakening was different."

Minato's face almost matched his senpai's. This was something he never expected.

"It was like nothing we had ever seen. We have never seen a Persona tear its way out of another." She recounted the events that Minato could not remember. That Persona tore through the large Shadow, ripping it to pieces effortlessly.

Her recounting however made Minato remember something he saw.

Yukari's body on the rooftop.

"Takeba-san." Minato's eyes widened. "What happened to her?"

"She's okay. She received minor injuries and was released the day after." Mitsuru probably noticed the worry in his voice.

She didn't die. He didn't fail.

Minato let out a heavy sigh and relaxed back on the hospital bed.

He couldn't let it happen again.

4/17/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Dark Hour

Minato was discharged from the hospital that day. The doctors were concerned that his motor skills hadn't fully recovered, but Minato refused to stay there any longer. He wasn't a fan of hospitals to begin with. They kept reminding him of what he lost.

Mitsuru had left the hospital shortly before Minato was discharged. He noticed how exasperated she looked. Was she there often whilst he was comatose? Knowing the Kirijo Group, she probably has responsibilities extending outside Gekkoukan, so if she was there with him, why?

That was only one of many questions spinning in his head. What is a Persona? What about Shadows? Why does he have this power?

He still couldn't sleep. But even if he could, it would've been interrupted.

For he had a visitor.

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru lay in her bed thinking about all that has happened. She has had trouble sleeping these past few nights, and she knew Arisato had noticed this. She hoped he didn't know why, for she didn't fully understand it herself. Her responsibility for the Kirijo Group, paired with her dedication to her schoolwork and trying to be elected as Student Council President, was not an easy balance.

But ever since Minato awoke to his power, she became restless. She visited him in the hospital as much as she could, with immense guilt building inside her, cursing fate for having this poor boy forced to live with this ability, at the cost of his family.

This feeling for him was unnatural to her. His past weighed heavy on her, but she knew if she felt like this, his own feelings must've been unimaginable.

Was this feeling she had only guilt? Or was there something she was missing?

She shut her eyes, trying to rest after a stressful week.

(Minato's POV)

"Hey."

It was the boy, from his first night at the dorm.

"How are you feeling?" His voice sounded like he struggled to talk.

Minato didn't respond with words, but with a sigh instead.

'You've awoken to your power. A special power too."

Minato was still silent. He didn't know how to respond to this boy.

"Soon, the end will come. You will need that power to confront it."

The end?

"I don't know much about it, but I thought I should tell you."

This boy was being incredibly cryptic. Why is he talking about 'the end'?

The young boy noticed Minato's silence. "You must be tired. I'll be back soon." He vanished before his eyes, leaving Minato alone in his room.

This only added onto Minato's pile of questions. Who was that boy, and what is 'the end'?

He knew it would do no good to continue thinking, so he closed his eyes, hoping he'd get at least some rest.

4/18/2009 - Class 2-F - Morning

Minato took a seat before the teacher came in. Junpei came up from behind him, and sat on the desk next to where he was seated.

"Dude, you've been gone for over a week. Where have you been?" Junpei's tone gave the implication he was joking about.

Minato was unsure on how to respond to this. He obviously couldn't tell him the truth, but even if he did, would he believe it.

Before he could give an answer, however, Yukari joined the conversation.

"He caught an illness on the day you two went out. You probably gave him something!" Her words sounded half sarcastic and half accusatory.

"What?! I didn't have anything, there's no way I could've gotten him sick!" Junpei looked offended. But Yukari's excuse worked. He didn't suspect anything else.

As they spoke about everything Minato missed, Ms. Toriumi walked into the classroom.

Lunch Time

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru was making her way to Class 2-E. Shuji Ikutsuki told her that he wanted to ask Minato to join, and that he wanted her to pass on the message.

She didn't want to do this. Her feelings regarding him remained adamant.

But still, they needed him. His power, his potential, was like nothing she had ever seen. The team needed his power.

But she needed him to stay away.

She approached his classroom door, and through the window, she saw him sitting alone, looking through various textbooks. She felt rather impressed with him. His ability to catch up on all the schoolwork he missed was admirable.

That feeling returned. It wasn't guilt. She was sure of it.

What was it?

Mitsuru brushed it aside. She needed to do what Ikutsuki asked her.

She entered the classroom, and headed towards his desk.

"Arisato?"

He looked up from his work with a blank expression on his face.

"Is everything okay, Mitsuru-senpai?"

"There will be a meeting at the dorm today. It'll be on the fourth floor. Can you attend it?:

"Okay." He nodded his head slightly. "Is there anything else?"

There was. At least there was something she wanted to say.

But she couldn't form the words to say it.

"That's all. Thank you." She bowed before stepping out the class.

Seeing Minato made her mood sadden. But was she being presumptuous? He looked like he was okay, that he wasn't bothered by anything that had happened.

Or was he hiding it? Did the trauma run that deep inside him that he couldn't express any emotion?

Mitsuru wished she understood. Maybe some day...

Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Evening

(Minato's POV)

Minato was outside the room he was told where the meeting was. He heard conversations past the double doors. Were they about him? About what happened a week ago?

He cleared his head and walked inside.

He saw Mitsuru and Takeba sitting on the sofa on one side, and there were two other people he didn't recognise. One was a boy, sat close to the end. He looked not much older than Minato. Perhaps he was a third year. There was also a man sat opposite where Minato was standing. He looked significantly older than the students sat with him, but Minato was unsure of why he was there.

"Ah, Arisato-san. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman at Gekkoukan High School." He spoke with a somewhat joyful tone. "Please, take a seat."

Minato accepted this offer, and sat in a seat positioned directly opposite Mitsuru.

"I would first like to introduce you to Akihiko Sanada. He's a third year, like Kirijo-kun."

"Hey there." Sanada-senpai gave a small wave. "I'm captain of the boxing team at school."

Minato had heard people talking about the boxing team captain, mainly from girls. They mentioned his looks, and how he has been unbeatable in his matches. The attention Akihiko got was the polar opposite to what Minato received, but Minato preferred that.

Ikutsuki spoke up. "We trust you have recovered after what happened last week?"

All eyes were on Minato. They were probably apprehensive, considering what happened.

"I have, yes." Minato responded, not wanting the silence to linger.

"Good." Ikutsuki leaned forward in his chair slightly. "I assume you have many questions, and we will answer what we can."

Minato was hoping for this. He needed answers after everything. Igor, that boy, that... monster.

"But before we get to that, I want to ask: Would you believe us if we said there were 25 hours in a day?"

So it was real. The single hour where everything shifts, where everyone morphs. Minato thought it was a hallucination, an effect of the trauma. But he didn't want to say that he knew. He can't.

Minato forced an expression on his face, trying to pass it as mildly shocked.

"Considering how you reacted, I'll assume you wouldn't believe it."

They bought it.

Mitsuru spoke next. "It's true. We call it 'The Dark Hour'. It's a time where Shadows come to life, and everything else stops."

Akihiko went after. "Shadows are like monsters that feed on people's minds. If you've been paying attention lately, you should have seen people standing still on the street, grumbling."

Minato had seen cases of this on the news. He had never seen it in person though.

"It's known to the public as Apathy Syndrome. They say its caused by extreme stress. In reality, they were attacked by Shadows. And it's our job to stop that from happening."

Their job?

Ikutsuki chimed in. "We are known as S.E.E.S. The 'Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad'."

Mitsuru reached down from below the table, revealing a wooden box.

"We want to offer you a place here." She opened the box, showing off its contents.

Inside contained a red armband with the letters 'S.E.E.S' printed on it. Positioned next to it however caught his attention.

It had the same design as the one he had on the roof. The slide had the same engraving too. It's frame was silver, whilst it's grip was in a sleek black.

He knew what they needed of him.

Yukari had finally said something. "It's your choice, Arisato-kun."

Huh. She referred to him as '-kun'. Was this her way of thanking him for saving her?

Minato scanned the room, wanting to see the faces of everyone there. Akihiko and Ikutsuki had serious expressions, whilst Yukari had a small smile, perhaps hoping that he would join. Mitsuru's face had that same concerned look.

"I'll do it."

"Wonderful." Ikutsuki clapped alone, but Akihiko and Yukari smiled. Mitsuru made one too, but it didn't look as genuine.

"Now, before we finish, do you have any questions?"

About a million. But there was only 1 he wanted to ask.

"What's a Persona?"

Ikutsuki leaned back in his chair. "A Persona is a reflection of one's heart. Its power allows us to fight the Shadows. Not everyone has one, but those that do are aware of the Dark Hour, and don't turn into a coffin."

So for the past ten years, Minato had a power he wasn't even aware of? Why didn't he experience the Dark Hour before the accident then?

"If there's nothing else you'd like to ask, I think this would be a good time to stop. Shall week-end? Get it?" Ikutsuki let out a small chuckle, but received sighs and rolled eyes as a response.

Minato had nothing else he wanted to ask. He figured it would be better for another time.

As everyone left the control room, Minato was about to follow, before Yukari stopped him.

"Hey, Arisato-kun? I wanna thank you for saving me on the rooftop last week. I saw what happened through the camera footage, and I'm glad you were there to help."

Minato didn't remember much of that night. Only up to the point he pulled the trigger.

"You're welcome." He gave a small nod, wanting to show appreciation.

She smiled at him before heading to her room, and Minato did the same.

A few hours later

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru couldn't do anything now.

Why did he say yes?

Why couldn't he stay away?

She let out a long sigh, and looked at the reflection of herself in the mirror.

He was involved now.

He's now going to fix her grandfather's mistakes.

Why?

Mitsuru believed that everyone needed a motivation to do something. So what was Minato's? Was he trying to get answers for his family death? Or was he trying to find purpose in a life where fate took it all from him?

She was conflicted. His involvement only strengthens her guilt, but it was undeniable that they needed his help.

But the same question ran through her head.

Why him?

4/19/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

(Minato's POV)

Minato stayed in the lounge for most of the day, flipping through the various songs on his mp3 player. He studied at various points, just to catch up on what he missed. Yukari was on her phone, and Mitsuru was reading a novel.

"I'm back." It was Akihiko. Minato hadn't noticed he left.

"I brought someone with me. Someone else is joining the team."

Someone else? Minato assumed Persona users were somewhat rare, so 5 in one dorm was surprising.

"Holy crap this room is huge!" Minato recognised that enthusiastic tone.

"Junpei?? He's joining the team too??" Yukari walked across the room to meet them at the dorm.

"Hey, Yuka-tan! I'm moving into your dorm!"

Minato turned to look at Yukari, only to see her face scrunched up, like a scrap piece of paper.

"Whilst Arisato-san was in a coma, I went out during the Dark Hour to find out where that large Shadow came from, only to see this guy crying outside a convenience store." Junpei's reaction to Akihiko's explanation was akin to shock.

Yukari audibly laughed. Minato guessed she found the idea of Junpei crying like that amusing.

Junpei turned to face Minato. "So you were in a coma that week? That's why you didn't come to school?"

Minato responded with a simple "Yup" whilst Yukari filled him in on what truly happened.

"Oh dude that's sick! I hope mine does something like that!" His overly joyful tone made that grim situation sound like a fun day at a picnic.

Mitsuru approached the group. "Three new members? Perhaps we can go explore Tartarus now."

"Tartar-what now?" Junpei's face became extremely confused.

"Tartarus." Yukari reminded him, with a somewhat irritated tone. "The giant tower that appears during the Dark Hour. You're telling me you haven't seen it?"

Junpei had to point out that Akihiko's story wasn't entirely false, so he never saw the tower. Yukari chuckled again after hearing this come from him.

"We shall go there tomorrow, if no one has any plans?" Mitsuru turned towards the second years. They all shook their heads in unison.

"Very well."

The first trip to Tartarus was planned, and after a busy evening helping move everything into Junpei's room, Minato went to sleep.

4/20/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Late Evening

After returning to the dorm, Minato was ready for his first expedition into Tartarus.

The second years waited patiently in the lounge, whilst the third years were grabbing their equipment. Junpei was smiling and tapping his feet, seemingly excited for this mission. Yukari seemed significantly more calm than him, perusing through a magazine.

Minato was doing what he did everyday: "vibing to music" as Junpei called it.

Mitsuru-senpai and Sanada-senpai entered the lounge with a few bags, and placed them on the table.

"You three, pick your weapon." Mitsuru-senpai gestured her hand towards the large bags infront of her, revealing an arsenal of various weapons.

Junpei's jaw dropped. He was left stunned whilst Yukari immediately grabbed the bow and quiver available. She had mentioned she was a part of the archery club before, so her choice seemed obvious.

Junpei seemingly lacked the knowledge on what would be the best for him, so he reached for the largest weapon available: a two-handed greatsword. His lack of experience was obvious, as he swung the sword like a baseball bat, with no accuracy or control.

There was still a variety of options available to Minato, and they all differed. A set of daggers, an axe, even a bō. But Minato didn't care about those weapons. He reached down into the bag and pulled out a simple one handed aikuchi: a tsuba-less katana. He tested its weight balance as he performed a few practice slashes, impressing the team with his skill.

"Dude, how'd you learn to use that?" Junpei asked.

Back in middle school, the faculty were worried about Minato and his absence from any sort of club, especially considering his circ*mstances. He was forced to choose a club until he left the school, and the only one with an opening at the time was the kendo club. He used a practice weapon more similar to a katana back then, but he felt more fluid with only using one hand. This seemed to annoy the other members, since he was very skilled at using it, and him only relying on one hand made it much more embarrassing for them if they lost. He was kicked out of the kendo club for 'winning too much', as the club president said, so he was then put into the fencing club, which was more his style considering his technique. He wasn't a member for long however, as he moved foster homes only 2 months after joining. It was helpful for him, as it kept him and his brain occupied, so he practiced when he could.

Minato replied to Junpei with a neutral tone "I practiced sometimes in middle school." He was trying to downplay it, make it seem less of a big deal.

After finalising their choices, Mitsuru brought out that same wooden box from yesterday, but there were 3 of them.

"Now take an armband, a holster and your Evoker."

Evoker. So that's what they were called.

"Is that a gun?!" Junpei's voice escalated.

"Not really. Its how you summon your Persona. You just aim it at your head, and pull the trigger." Akihiko made such a morbid task seem so simple.

"What?! You're telling me we have to shoot ourselves?!" Junpei continued to shout.

"Calm down. There aren't even any bullets in them." Akihiko demonstrated that there were indeed no bullets inside.

Junpei let out a large exhale, and followed what Mitsuru had requested them to do.

"These Evokers can be customised if there are any changes you want made. If the weight seems off or you want it in a different hand, just say so." Mitsuru gave a quick explanation on their gear, and not long after, they finally set off for Tartarus.

Gekkoukan High School - A couple minutes before midnight

Minato and the team had arrived at Gekkoukan High School, which immediately caused Junpei to question why.

"Uh, why are we at school?"

Akihiko turned to him with a smirk.

"You'll see."

A couple minutes went by, and on the stroke of 12, the Dark Hour returned again.

Only this time, their was no longer a school.

Gekkoukan High had immediately morphed into a tower; its size giving off an overwhelming feeling.

The second years were frozen still, but their stance was broken by Akihiko motioning them to follow.

Tartarus - Dark Hour

S.E.E.S walked into Tartarus, being greeted by a room so massive it could fit a train. A wide set of stairs led up to a giant clock face with a hole, emanating a green light, mimicking a door.

They approached the stairs, only to stop when they heard a roar from behind.

Junpei and Takeba-san tensed up, thinking it was a Shadow. In reality, it was Mitsuru, riding in on a motorcycle.

They relaxed their muscles and released a large exhale. Mitsuru snapped off her helmet and waved her blood-red hair around her, showing that the helmet was ineffective in making her hair frizzy.

She stepped off the bike and approached her team.

"For tonight, you three are going to be going in." She was looking at the second years, excluding Akihiko.

"What?! Mitsuru, I'm fine, I can go in!" Akihiko pleaded to go.

"No! You are still recovering after your encounter with that large Shadow, Akihiko. You will stay with me and only will you be allowed to go in is if they need backup." Her voice was stern, like a mother talking to her child.

Akihiko grimaced in response, but didn't object to her decision.

"We need to decide on a leader then. You need to stay back too for reconnaissance." Akihiko looked towards the group, immediately noticing Junpei's excitement.

"Oh! Me, me! I'll do it!" Junpei jumped up and down, as if he was a toddler.

Mitsuru disregarded Junpei's eagerness, and was more focused on Minato.

"Can you, Arisato?"

He looked directly at her, slightly surprised by her decision. He didn't question her judgement, however.

"Sure, I can do it."

She smiled at his response, and he reciprocated with a half smile of his own.

Junpei was extremely offended.

"Why does he get to be the leader?"

Yukari immediately shot down any attempt of him appealing this decision.

"Because unlike us, he has summoned his Persona."

Junpei was still annoyed, yet he couldn't argue with that logic.

Whilst Yukari and Junpei prepared themselves for their expedition, Minato noticed a blue door in the corner of his eye.

As he walked closer to it, the key in his pocket vibrated and shuffled, itching to go into the door. Minato pulled it out and inserted it into the lock, and without having to twist it, he was sucked into the Velvet Room.

Igor and Elizabeth were positioned in the same places they were at their first meeting, and Minato was sat in the same seat.

"Welcome." Igor began. "I see you have unlocked your potential." Minato felt pressure on his chest after Igor mentioned it.

"Your power is special. Different to other Persona users. Whilst they can only have access to one Persona, you, my boy, can wield multiple." The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear.

"You will unlock new Persona's in your mind, and you will combine them to strengthen your arsenal." Elizabeth commented.

Minato sat motionless, but he was being bombarded with even more questions. Why was he special? How would he fuse them? How would he even find more Persona's?

"You will come to experience this all in due time. But for now, return to your world." Igor waved his hand and sent him away.

In a split second, Minato had returned to the entrance of Tartarus, unsure if anyone had noticed either the door or him leaving.

He thinks Mitsuru had, as she was taking glances at him intermittently.

"All ready to go, Arisato-kun?" Yukari sounded eager to get to work.

Minato responded with a nod and with her and Junpei in tow, they began their ascent.

Tartarus (Thebel Floor)

Minato and his team were met with various corridors and rooms, with patterns that resemble the school.

"Can you all read me?" Mitsuru's voice resonated within their minds.

Minato was unsure how he could respond, so he just spoke aloud, assuming it would work.

"Yeah, we hear you."

"Good. There appears to be a few Shadows close by. Take them out if you can."

The second years nodded at each other, all with serious expressions, and ran down the corridor, ready for a fight.

Mitsuru was correct. Minato counted 3... no, 4 Shadows around the corner they were hiding behind.

He turned towards his teammates, waiting for his orders.

"I'll take the two closer to us. You two, watch what I do, and then summon your Persona's for the others. Takeba-san, you go left, Junpei, right."

Yukari and Junpei had a curious look on their faces. This was the most he talked around them, so perhaps that was the reason. They refocused on the task at hand and nodded at him.

Minato stepped out from the corner, clutching his Evoker tight in his left hand, and his aikuchi in his right. The Evoker felt wrong to be held in this hand, since he intended to be holding his weapon in tandem with it, yet it was built to be held in his right. He noted to himself that he should tell Akihiko.

He shrugged the awkwardness off of him, and advanced towards the pair. They both charged directly at him, leaving pools of viscous black liquid behind. One had made it ahead of the other, intending to strike first with its excuse of an arm.

Minato sliced the first Shadow's arm with ease, before puncturing it directly in its mask, causing it to shrink and melt infront of him. He dodged a swipe from the second Shadow with grace, enough so that he was behind it.

He brought the Evoker to his head.

"Orpheus! Agi!"

His Persona manifested behind Minato, and sent a ball of fire at the remaining Shadow, incinerating it on the spot.

Junpei and Yukari were amazed at his skill. To them, he made it seem like he was an expert already.

The second pair of Shadow's were alerted to the commotion, and began heading towards Minato's position.

His teammates saw their opportunity, and came out from behind cover.

Junpei was the first.

"Hermes!"

A humanoid figure of black and gold appeared from behind Junpei, and much like Orpheus, it sent a blast of fire at the Shadow, killing it on the spot.

Yukari followed suit.

"Io!"

Her Persona had materialised as a woman sat atop a bulls head, and sent a sharp gust of wind towards the final Shadow, slicing it to pieces.

They had won their first battle as a team.

"Well done everyone. Arisato, your skills as both a fighter and a leader are impressive. Iori and Takeba, you did a great job following his example."

They all smiled to each other, even Minato.

Perhaps he had found a purpose.

The smile didn't last long, as he suddenly felt something in his head. It felt similar to when he first awoke to his Persona, yet dulled down tremendously.

He was unsure of what it was, but the moment didn't last long.

"Wait! There's another Shadow coming!" Mitsuru's voice was filled with worry, as she hadn't sensed this one.

A fifth Shadow had appeared from behind a pillar and rushed towards the group.

Yukari and Junpei readied their weapons, but Minato felt different.

He raised his Evoker to his head.

"Apsaras!"

A different Persona.

A woman coloured in a shade of blue, froze the advancing Shadow still. Minato took the opportunity and smashed it beneath his foot.

"Arisato. Was that a different Persona?" Mitsuru sounded like she was taken aback to what she sensed. Minato's teammates reflected this feeling.

They stared at him with their jaws wide open. He had done what was thought to be impossible.

"You three should return to the entrance. We are going to finish here for the night."

Minato didn't know what to say in response, apart from a single "Okay", yet he knew that wasn't enough to cover what had just happened.

"Dude. Was that what I thought it was?" Junpei remained shocked.

Minato looked at the Evoker in his hand. He thought about who he is now, since this is something he never would've considered happening.

Although that can be said for other things in his life.

"We should listen to Kirijo-senpai and head back. She sounded worried." Yukari took the lead back to the entrance and Junpei followed shortly behind.

Minato stood for a moment, thinking about everything that's happened. Why is he capable of this? Was what happened on the roof similar to what happened here?

He shook his head, relieving himself of the stress he was giving himself, and began to head back.

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru was completely silent. She couldn't believe what she sensed.

To her, seemed as if fate was laughing at Minato.

The questions didn't stop coming.

They never did.

It couldn't possibly be a coincidence that the one boy who lost his family from an incident her family caused, had the ability to summon not only one Persona, but multiple, and that he has to now help fix the mess that was her grandfather's legacy.

Something must have happened on that bridge.

Something must have happened that caused him to have this power.

It didn't add up to her.

Nothing did regarding him lately.

He awoke feelings in her she wasn't aware of, feelings she doesn't understand.

She knew she had to push them aside. For the sake of the mission, it was paramount they succeed.

But why must it involve him?

Minato felt exhausted after yesterday's excursion. It was significantly minor compared to how he felt on the rooftop, yet it was still a new feeling to him, so he assumed it would improve with time.

His day mostly comprised of answering (or ar least attempting to answer) his teammates questions, yet he himself did not understand much of it.

After what felt like a thousand questions, the team, once again, had finished their conversation, leaving with fewer answers than they had hoped, but were confident in continuing their mission at discovering the mystery behind the Dark Hour and Tartarus.

4/28/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

The past week was a busy week for Minato. Despite his loner nature, and his past, he had picked up a few friends during his time at Gekkoukan. He joined the kendo club, ideally for the purpose of training for Tartarus when he has the time, and met Kazushi Miyamoto, the team captain, and Yuko Nishiwaki, the manager. He began to hang out with a classmate of his too, Kenji Tomochika, who after going to Hagakure Bowl a few times, revealed his plan to pursue a relationship with a teacher at Gekkoukan. Minato did not have many words to say about this, and the words he did have were not positive, but Kenji seemed adamant about his choice, so Minato didn't attempt to dissuade him.

Some days, he went to the shrine, and he met a young girl named Maiko. She was in elementary school, and after playing with Minato a couple times, treats him like a brother. She even addressed him as onii-chan, which often reminded him of the sister he lost.

After his activities in the day, the evenings were spent either sitting in the lounge and listening to music, or making more progress in Tartarus. The team still consisted of only the second years, as Akihiko was still recovering, and Mitsuru needed to provide support. That didn't matter to them, because they were advancing steadily through each floor, occasionally coming across a particularly strong foe blocking the way. It never affected them as they continued to push on and eventually made it to a point where they could not continue.

These trips proved beneficial to the team, as they were improving their skills with not only their weapons, but their Persona's too, as well as gaining an understanding of their primary function. Yukari's Persona, Io, was able to use wind spells and healing skills, the latter of the two being especially useful because of Junpei's Persona, Hermes. He was able to use fire skills, but was primarily focused on physical attacks. Alongside Orpheus and Apsaras, Minato was able to use Jack Frost, Omoikane, and Nekomata, all of which covering various affinities, meaning he was able to gain the advantage against any foe.

The members of the dorm felt accomplished of their progress. Minato was getting used to the company in the dorm, and whilst he was more comfortable there in the short time he has been living there compared to the various foster homes and orphanages he's been to, he still remained outside of the social space, leaving rooms where there were multiple people, not speaking unless spoken to, and overall not joining in conversations willingly. It normally took Junpei or Yukari to force him into talking to them.

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru watched as Minato left the lounge again, presumably to his room. She noticed he was interacting with people during schooltime, yet it never seemed like he talked to them. To her, it seemed as if he would allow people to talk to him about their problems, but he would never open up about his. Had this become second nature to him? Where he disregards his own problems and trauma so he could be there for others? Did he think so little of himself?

Those feelings returned. They only did when she was thinking of him. What they were was still a mystery to her.

What was this boy doing to her?

4/29/2009 - Gekkoukan High School - Morning

(Minato's POV)

The school had been gathered for an assembly to announce the new school council president. Minato had heard that Mitsuru was running for the position, and was clued into who won thanks to him catching a glimpse of her past the curtain.

The school principal introduced Mitsuru, and she was welcomed to the stage with an applause.

Minato wasn't fully focused on the contents of the speech. But he was focused on who was giving it. He gazed in her direction, noticing the spotlight shining directly on her, and how she looked so composed during her speech.

What was he thinking? He suddenly reeled his thoughts back, focusing on the dangling mp3 player around his neck. He was wanting. Wanting for an attachment to something. To someone. But why? And why Mitsuru?

He couldn't hold back his urge for long, and he looked back towards her, and was mesmerised by her standing in the shining light.

No.

He turned away, blocking his face from view.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't feel like that.

He couldn't go through it again.

10 minutes later

(Mitsuru's POV)

He stared at her up there.

She was in the middle of giving her presidential speech, and after noticing Minato's attention on her, she became flustered.

Her mind was racing and her heart was pounding.

She felt like she was going to break up there.

Thankfully, she was able to compose herself and continue the speech without paying attention to him.

But it was those feelings. Again.

It was more pronounced that time.

She understood what these feelings were now. She has read enough novels to know what they were.

But she couldn't do it. Not when it could jeopardise the team, or the mission.

She couldn't do it.

Not to him.

Right?

She sighed. She's been doing that a lot lately.

What did he do to her?

5/2/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Dark Hour

(Minato's POV)

Minato had continued with his usual routine the past few days. There was normally someone who wanted to talk to him, so he spent time with them during the day, and then during the evening, it was either study or go to Tartarus.

Whenever he went to Tartarus, it was almost as if he changed completely. He was more talkative, more expressive, more...

Alive.

He knew his teammates noticed this change, but to him, it seemed as if they welcomed it.

He was the polar opposite during the day. Barely talking much, only interacting with people who needed to talk to him, and he had a blank face for almost all of the day.

The potential reason why this was the case was not lost on him.

Minato never lived for himself. He lived for the sake of others.

He knew Death was inevitable, so he refused to get too close to people, or they would get ripped away from him, causing more damage to himself than if he stayed alone.

It happened to his family, so it could happen to anyone.

Even when there was no one supporting him in his past, he only lived for the sake of his family, wanting to avoid their shame.

Tartarus didn't replace that feeling, but it did give him a solution. Minato was always fine with dying, but could never cause his own. But Tartarus gave him a way to die for the sake of others.

If a hit was going to land on someone, it would be on him. If a Shadow was going to hurt someone, it would be him. If a Shadow was going to kill someone...

It would be him.

For that is what he wished for, and why he couldn't afford having someone care about him. He didn't want people to be hurt by his death, so if he could bring it about without directly causing it, and it was for the sake of someone, he would die happy.

Minato prepared to close his eyes, to at least try and achieve some semblance of sleep, until he was interrupted by that boy again.

"Hey there. I see you have gotten used to your power."

Minato, for once, decided to respond to this boy, albeit with a simple "Yeah, I have."

"Something dangerous will appear in a week. I hope you will succeed."

Before Minato could question the boy on this danger, he had vanished again.

Danger? Would it be like that large Shadow that appeared a month ago?

He stared at his ceiling, listening to the heavy metal blasting through his headphones.

This was unlike anything he's been through before.

But Minato wasn't sure if that was a problem.

5/6/2009 - Student Council Room - Lunch Time

(Mitsuru's POV)

The amount of requests to join the Student Council were low. A little too low for Mitsuru's liking.

She was worried the responsibilities would be a burden, combined with being the leader of S.E.E.S.

Hidetoshi Odagiri could've been a useful candidate for more general matters, but he is already the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, and he can be very single minded. Chihiro Fushimi was also considered, however on top of already being the treasurer, she was only a first year, and a very timid girl, almost freezing on the spot when in the presence of a boy.

Mitsuru needed someone she can trust.

Her mind shifted to her teammates.

Akihiko, being her closest friend, was one of her first thoughts. However, he was never suited for administration, and was only ever really interested in sport and training. Yukari, whilst she tried to hide it, wasn't fully comfortable being around Mitsuru. Even if she did have the aptitude, she would deny. Junpei was immediately disregarded as soon as she thought of him. Whilst his personality isn't entirely a negative, his attitude towards his academia and future was, and would never be considered as a suitable choice.

Then she thought of him.

She trusted his skills. He has shown himself to be very capable at leadership and teamwork when within the confines of Tartarus. She trusted his attitude and sociability. Despite what people thought of his aloof nature, he is respected among his peers. She has heard of his efforts in the kendo club, already proving to be an excellent member. She has seen him in the corridors, conversing with students in his class, or perhaps he wasn't conversing, and was really just listening to them. Regardless of how he interacted with his classmates, the fact he did, and did often, was potential proof of something behind that facade of his.

She trusted him.

She knew what she was thinking was a bad idea. She would be relying on him again, when she already does so with him and S.E.E.S.

But he was the only right choice.

Mitsuru swallowed her pride and strode towards his classroom.

10 minutes later

"Sure. I'll do it."

Although she was hoping for this outcome, Mitsuru was taken aback by his words. He accepted so suddenly that she had no time to prepare for his response after she asked.

However, she didn't want to make him concerned for her, so she quickly, yet subtly, composed herself in preparation for her own response.

"Brilliant. I've already done the necessary paperwork for you, you just need to head to the faculty office to sign it yourself." Her appearance at first glance was resolute, yet if she knew if someone focused hard enough, they would see past the cracks and gain a glimpse of insecurity. Why did she continue to feel nervous around him?

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai. Was there anything else you needed of me?" Minato appeared to be clueless to her true feelings, which brought her some comfort.

"No, there's nothing else. You're duties will primarily be assisting me with general matters involving the school. You aren't expected to get fully involved with matters such as the Disciplinary Committee, but you would be expected to give your opinion on certain situations."

"This sounds more suited for the Vice President, Mitsuru-senpai."

"You are correct, however I want someone within the council who I trust, and who I believe has the skills to manage it effectively alongside me. You fit perfectly for that role." She felt her heart pounding as she said those words, worrying if Minato would find any underlying meaning behind it.

"I understand. When do you hold meetings?"

She made a heavy exhale, but not too much as to draw suspicion. "We hold them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except the days before exams. You aren't expected to attend all of them, considering you are also a member of a club, but I- we would appreciate if you do make it every so often." She stammered on her words, worried he would pick up on the fact she was relying on him.

"Okay, I'll stop by today then. Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai." He nodded in appreciation, smiling slightly in the process.

She struggled to contain herself, but she persevered.

"Thank you, Arisato." She bowed to him before exiting the classroom, but needed an outlet for her emotions.

She walked quickly to the girls bathrooms and made an extremely large sigh, before clutching at her chest. Her heart felt as if it was about to leap out of her chest.

Her feelings for him became stronger, but she knew she had to suppress them.

She knew.

5/9/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room- Dark Hour

(Minato's POV)

Mitsuru had hastily assembled the team to the control room, and when calling on Minato, she had urgency in her voice.

Alarms and blaring noises were sounding off on various screens on the computer. Was this what that boy was warning about?

"It's another Shadow. Like the one from last month." Mitsuru mumbled to herself, Minato barely able to make out what she said.

He noticed her fists clench on the panel, before she turned towards the second years, all dressed and prepared for a battle.

"There's an abnormally large Shadow nearby. On the monorail tracks to be precise." Mitsuru's voice became very stern.

"The monorail tracks? What's it doing there?" Junpei scratched the back of his neck, seemingly with worry.

"I'm not sure, but we must defeat it. Any damage it causes will be left behind after the Dark Hour, causing a lot of trouble and panic."

The team nodded in unison.

"You three will head towards the station and wait for me there. Once I arrive, you can hunt the Shadow down. Any questions?"

No one raised any concerns, all turning towards each other with determination in their eyes.

After the debriefing, Minato, Yukari and Junpei all rushed towards the station, and prepared themselves for Mitsuru's arrival.

Junpei and Yukari were talking in the distance, too far for Minato to hear. He stared at his reflection in the blade of his aikuchi, a blade that has already defeated many Shadows since he started using it.

He tried to remember the life he had before the accident, but no memories could come up. Sometimes if a person or a place had similarities to the life he had with his family, it would suddenly appear in his mind, often to his dismay. That feeling occurred fewer times over the years, eventually getting to the point where he could go through a whole year with no memories of the life that was snatched away from him.

He sighed, catching the attention of his teammates. Junpei asked if he was alright, to which Minato replied with a simple nod.

A few minutes went by, and Minato could hear the distant roar of something fierce.

It closed in rapidly, and stopped only a few meters from where he was standing.

It was only Mitsuru.

She took the helmet she was wearing off, once again showing how little effect it had on messing up her hair. However, it was the suit she was wearing that caught his attention. It was a black motorcycle bodysuit, that seemed to perfectly match her curves. The stark contrast between the colours of her hair and the attire she chose was bold, but she wore it perfectly.

Wait.

No.

Minato shook his head and wiped it with his forearm, which had caught her attention.

'Arisato? Are you feeling okay?" That same concerned look appeared.

He reverted back to his reserved nature, responding with a single nod.

"Very well." She dismounted the motorcycle and approached the team, who were all huddled up closely. "I'm getting a strong reading from inside the conductors cabin. The Shadow must be there. I would also be prepared for any smaller Shadows that appear."

The second years nodded together.

"Alright. Arisato, you lead the operation. There's no reason to change now."

Minato's look remained unchanged, but he responded with a determined "Okay."

Minato could feel the glares coming from behind him. Someone was not appreciative of the fact that he was remaining as leader.

"Good luck, you three."

With an unwavering look on their faces, they turned towards the monorail tracks, and headed towards the culprit.

(Mitsuru's POV)

Was he admiring her? The look she caught from his face as she stepped off of her motorcycle resembled the one she spotted when giving her speech.

Did he have feelings for her?

No, he couldn't. He doesn't seem like the person who would.

But why did she enjoy that feeling? She already knew she couldn't acknowledge her emotions, for that could jeopardise the mission.

So why was she craving for more?

Why now of all times?

Why him?

She was thankful that she is capable of self-control when in the presence of others, but when she's alone with him, it comes back.

She has to be better than this.

She has to.

(Minato's POV)

Minato, Yukari and Junpei had boarded the monorail which they suspected to contain the Shadow. There were barely any coffins, if any. But they still had to be careful, as to not disturb someone slumbering within one.

"This is... really c-creepy." Yukari's voice trembled.

Suddenly, the door they entered through slammed shut, invoking a scream from her.

That wasn't all.

The monorail had begun moving.

"What's going on!" Mitsuru's voice echoed from within their minds.

"The Shadow must've taken control of the monorail! We're moving!" Yukari was shouting incredibly loudly, leaving Minato relieved that the bystanders within their coffins aren't disturbed by noise.

"You need to hurry! If you don't, you could crash into the monorail infront!"

After immediately hearing this, Junpei charged in, leaving Minato and Yukari behind.

"Junpei! Where are you going!" Before Yukari could take a step, Shadows had surrounded them.

Minato and Yukari were back to back, encircled by the various forms Shadows could take.

"We need to catch up to Junpei. Takeba-san, you take the two in front of you, I'll clean up the rest." The power in Minato's voice strengthened their resolve, as they were able to efficiently take down all of the Shadows surrounding them, taking no damage in the process.

"We gotta help Junpei! He won't be able to fight on his own!" Yukari exclaimed.

Minato nodded in agreement, and pushed through wave after wave of Shadows, eventually making it to the lead car.

There, he saw Junpei down on one knee, and infront of him...

He felt immense power.

Power stronger than what he had.

"I can do this on my own you know!" Junpei turned and shouted at his teammates.

Yukari was stunned by his words, and before she was able to do anything, the large Shadow sent forth a large block of ice, careening its way towards Junpei.

"Junpei!"

He felt a shove. Minato pushed him out of the way, and was sent flying into the wall behind him.

Minato could feel his ribs cracking, pushing on his internals. He wiped his brow, only to reveal a stain on his blazer.

He smiled. Wide.

Minato grabbed his ribcage and winced in pain as Yukari ran towards him, trying to heal him.

He gently pushed her aside. He didn't want healing.

Not now.

The large Shadow roared at them; its paper-like hair burrowing into the ground, emanating a red aura.

"The monorail is picking up speed! You need to defeat it quick!"

Minato stood up, fighting the pain from within his chest and his head.

"What are you doing! You need help!" Yukari yelled at him.

Blood was dripping from his fingertips, leaving small stains on the floor. He turned towards Yukari and Junpei, who were knelt behind him.

His smile got wider, on the border of unsettling.

He turned towards the Shadow, seeing it was preparing another ice attack. He raised his Evoker to his temple.

"Persona!"

The Shadow sent another huge block of ice in their direction, but it stopped dead in its tracks, shattering to pieces.

Jack Frost was revealed from the mist, who had absorbed the blast due to its inherent immunity to ice attacks.

It vanished from in front of Minato, right as the Shadow sent its hair, ready to puncture his body, but it was sliced to pieces

Minato turned again to see Io, and Yukari, standing straight. Junpei collected himself together and was about to summon Hermes.

But then, Minato felt a sensation from within his mind.

"You will unlock new Persona's in your mind, and you will combine them to strengthen your arsenal."

The words Igor said resonated within his mind, and he felt a clash from within.

Ready for another strike, Minato brought the tool to his head.

"Come! Onmoraki!"

A small, bird-like Persona emerged, and shot a blast of darkness at the Shadow, stunning it.

He had done it. He had fused Nekomata and Omoikane into a new Persona.

His pain subsided, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Junpei and Yukari stood alongside him.

"Draw its attention away, I'll finish it off." Minato ordered, his uncanny smile still present on his face.

Yukari nodded, whilst Junpei had grunted, but they both followed his directions. The Shadow was sending shards of ice from all directions, but its attention was diverted away from Minato. Sharp gusts of wind came from his left, slicing any ice or hair to pieces. Burning fire came from his right, leaving anything as a puddle of ooze or water.

Minato continued to smile, and charged directly at the Shadow, weapon in hand. He dodged the attacks it was sending towards him, but Onmoraki's darkness power was proving extremely useful.

He leaped towards the jugular of the Shadow, severing its head clean from its body.

They won the battle.

But the monorail didn't stop.

"Why aren't we stopping?!" Yukari was yelling at the two boys next to her.

"Minato!" Mitsuru's voice reverberated from within his head.

He was okay with this outcome, but he knew the others weren't. He pushed past the corpse of the Shadow and entered the co*ckpit.

He didn't know what to do, but his instincts told him to pull the lever beside him. With an incredibly hard tug, the monorail began to slow down, stopping merely inches from the one infront of them.

He heard sighs coming from behind.

"Holy crap. We almost died." Junpei's voice was staggered between breaths.

"How did you know which one to pull, Arisato-kun?" Yukari too was struggling to breathe normally.

"I didn't, I just followed my instincts." Minato was weirdly calm, but not long after, the adrenaline faded, leaving only a massive pool of pain behind.

Junpei grunted. "Of course you did, makes sense why you're the leader."

Minato could feel the judgement from Junpei. It must've been him staring from behind his back when Mitsuru chose who was going to be the leader.

"You saved me again. That's twice now. You gotta let me sometime." Yukari chuckled and made a smile at him.

Minato, internally fighting the pain, made a smile in response.

Junpei didn't thank Minato for saving him, which caused Minato to rethink his position on the team, only temporarily. He saved his life, yet he's so cold about it.

Frustrated, he pushed past Junpei, pulling the emergency brake for the doors. They only opened slightly, so Minato forced them open with his aikuchi, letting out a yell in pain.

He hopped off of the monorail, which had only intensified the pain residing in his chest.

"I'll catch you guys back at the dorm." Minato's words were sharp, which wasn't intentional, but he didn't rectify it.

He slowly made steps away from the train, and he could hear Junpei and Yukari arguing from behind him. Probably about how Junpei reacted, and how he wasn't appreciative.

Minato wouldn't normally care about this stuff.

Now, he felt frustrated. Frustrated that his teammate went off alone, risking not only himself, but Yukari too. Frustrated that he was reckless in trying to fight the Shadow alone, and almost getting killed in the process. Frustrated that even after Minato saved him from getting hit, he didn't even acknowledge what happened or had thanked him.

Why did he care all of a sudden?

Why has he begun caring so about things all of a sudden?

This only cemented the fact that everything was changing for Minato, but he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

But then he remembered.

He heard Mitsuru...

Call him Minato.

(Mitsuru's POV)

They're okay.

They're safe.

He's safe.

Wait.

She called him...

Minato!?

She never referred to someone by their first name, unless it was to someone she was close with. That was who it was reserved for.

So why? Why did she call him Minato? Why then?

Was she scared for his life? Did she care about him that much?

Was she...

In love?

Her knowledge of this sort of feeling was minor at best. She had never considered a person as a romantic interest before. Not even Akihiko.

But this boy...

She cared about him.

She doesn't want to deny it.

Does he even feel the same way?

She can't do it. If she's wrong, S.E.E.S could be at risk.

She can't risk failing the mission.

Not after all they have done.

But she wants to.

Notes:

Just wanna say thanks for the kudos and comments for what I released! The next two chapters will probably be a little bit stretched out, so the pacing may be a little off, but there is a lot of ShuMitsu here, and there will be a lot of ShuMitsu in the next chapter, and it'll only get better from there. Again, thanks for checking out my fanfic and I hope you enjoy!

(Minato's POV)

Minato approached the monorail entrance, clutching at his ribs. The pain was extraordinary, so much so that it was impairing his vision. He fought past it though, only to see a blurry image of someone stood infront of him. He could tell who it was, judging by the shades of red, and in the way they spoke, with a sense of authority, but also with concern.

He fell to one knee, dropping the weapon he was carrying. Mitsuru sprinted towards him as fast as she could, getting him to rest his body on her shoulder.

"Arisato! What happened! Are you hurt?!" The volume of her voice, paired with the tone she was speaking in, gave the impression she was fearing for the worst.

"I'm... okay." He knew she saw through his lie. "It's... not as bad... as it looks."

The pauses in his sentence did not reassure her. Minato could then hear multiple footsteps from behind, and assumed they were his teammates that caught up.

"Takeba! Iori! What happened on that monorail!" Her way of speaking did not change when addressing them.

Yukari had given her the rundown on what happened: the Shadow hijacking the train, Junpei leaving to fight alone, and letting Minato get hit. As she was sharing the details, Minato looked up at Mitsuru, and saw she was sending glares at Junpei, and if looks could kill: Junpei would have collapsed on the spot.

Minato, trying to break the tension, tried to reassure the team of his injuries.

"I'm fine. I just gotta..." He winced in pain, failing to make this charade believable. "I just gotta get some rest. I'll be fine in the morning."

Mitsuru had motioned Yukari to heal him, and whilst he did not want this, he knew he couldn't resist it infront of her.

Junpei spoke from behind his teammates, who were both crouched down trying to tend to their leader.

"Sorry man. Thanks." His apology seemed to not be fully genuine, but Minato couldn't tell, as the pain (whilst it was subsiding) was diverting his focus.

Mitsuru gave another stare at Junpei, but Minato accepted his apology nonetheless.

"Don't worry about it, Junpei. We defeated the Shadow, which is what mattered in the end."

Mitsuru agreed with him. "Arisato is correct. Well done." She nodded at the second years in approval.

"I need to take the motorcycle back to the Group to be stored for the time being. Can you manage your way back, Arisato?" She looked back at him, with concern covering her face.

He made an exasperated smile, then brought himself back on his feet, but not without groaning in the process.

"Yeah. I can do that." His breath was heavy, full of exhaustion.

She sighed looking at him. "Okay. If there are any problems, contact me immediately." She mounted her motorcycle, but gave Minato one more look before driving off.

Minato turned towards his classmates, both of whom are staring at him.

"Good work guys. Let's go."

And they made their way back to the dorm.

She called him Minato.

5/13/2009 - Student Council Room - After School

The student council meeting was, suffice to say, pointless today. It was primarily due to them being inundated with complaints regarding Odagiri's investigation into a cigarette being found in the boy's bathroom. He defended himself adamantly, saying that the methods and his suspicions were justified, and that he would find whoever was the culprit, because they, in his words, 'showed a complete lack of care for the rules in society'. This led to him accusing various members of the student council, particularly including Minato, due to his reasoning of 'his aloof nature is only a cover up for his rebellious and law breaking lifestyle'. Mitsuru did not take kindly to this, and had adjourned the meeting before he gave her another reason to 'execute' him.

Only Mitsuru and Minato remained in the room whilst everyone had left, disgruntled by Odagiri's accusations.

"I apologise for the way he acted towards you, Arisato." She looked disappointed. "He can be a smart individual, but he takes his role extremely seriously, and he can get misguided into who he should suspect."

"It's no problem, Mitsuru-senpai." Minato slightly chuckled. He had never seen someone look so angry before, especially for his sake.

"Was that a laugh I heard?" She smiled to him, causing him to smile back.

No. I can't be doing this.

I don't want it to happen again.

His smile fades, and whilst he tries to place a folder on the nearby shelf, he grunts due to the lingering pain in his chest, dropping the folder in the process.

"Arisato!" She rushed to help him, but he collected himself before she could.

"I'm okay." He placed the folder on the shelf infront of him with a lot more care. "Don't worry about it." He smiled, wanting to remove her concern from her face.

He failed. She knew he was in pain. He could tell his lie didn't work.

"I'll be fine, senpai."

His words didn't reassure her, but she didn't continue. She didn't want to make him distrust her.

"How are you finding Gekkoukan, Arisato?" She changed the topic, hoping for a more positive conversation.

"It's nice." Arisato stared out of the window, looking over the track. "It's better than all the other schools I've been to over the years. I never met people either. I usually stayed alone. It was either sitting alone in class, or finding a quiet spot during breaks when the teachers forced me out."

Mitsuru's eyes widened with pity.

"But it wasn't so bad. I preferred being alone there. People couldn't understand my
... circ*mstances, so they sometimes picked on me for it. I just stayed away from people altogether after that."

She turned to face him, seeing he was still looking outside the window.

"You know my... circ*mstances, right senpai?" He turned to face her, seeing her eyes glisten in the sunlight. Was she crying?

She cleared her throat before she responded. "I do yes. You lost your parents on November 8th, the same day of the explosion at the Kirijo Group's research lab."

"Yeah. It's never been easy, getting through November. It was mine and my sisters birthday the day before, and we were coming back from spending a day at our grandmother's house. It was our birthday that made us drive over the bridge."

Minato struggled to speak. Why had he opened up like this all of a sudden?

"You don't need to continue, Arisato. Not if you don't want to." Mitsuru moved her arm, perhaps to comfort him, but he moved away. She was going towards his scars, and he didn't want anyone to know of them.

He didn't want her to know of them.

He should stop speaking.

He needs to stop.

But he couldn't.

"I'm fine." His tone grew cold, but it softened up when he continued. "I got through it. It was difficult, but I made it."

Mitsuru turned away from him, and moved her forearm to her face. She was crying. She was crying for him.

Minato didn't want the silence to continue. "Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai. I haven't spoken to someone like this before." He showed a genuine smile of appreciation.

She smiled back at him. "You don't need to thank me, Arisato. I did nothing."

He finished sorting the leftover paperwork before they made their separate ways.

What was he doing?

He said too much.

Why did he say all of that?

What made him say that?

Why to her?

5/17/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru's mind continued to think about the conversation she had with Minato a few days ago, how he opened up so much, and that she almost cried infront of him.

In the month that she's known him, he said more words in that single conversation than he had done at any other point during his time here.

Did he trust her? Was she the person he was willing to open up to?

She was flustered by the thought of him only trusting her. He was in the same class as Yukari and Junpei, so it made more sense to be more open towards them. But in their conversation, he said he never opened up to someone like that before.

What caused it? Was his trust building with the team? Was he becoming more outspoken as a person?

Was it... her?

No, it couldn't be.

But she caught him looking at her.

Maybe.

He could've been mindlessly staring, not paying attention.

She heard the door open.

Minato had arrived at the dorm, seeing her and Akihiko in the lounge.

Mitsuru got up and greeted him at the door. "Ah, Arisato. Akihiko and I were preparing to do a study session for the mid-terms tomorrow. Iori and Takeba will be joining us. Would you care to aswell?"

"Sure. Let me get my stuff and I'll join." He walked up to his dorm room, and came down shortly after with various textbooks in hand. Junpei and Yukari had followed him down too, ready to study with them.

An hour passes, and the progress between the who was studying the most and the least was becoming more and more apparent. Mitsuru was always top of her year, and so was Minato, according to the file she read last month. Akihiko and Yukari were skilled, able to score above the curve, but weren't quite as adept as them. Junpei often struggled with this sort of work. He often got distracted during the study session, making either Mitsuru or Minato force him to study. It was getting so bad, Minato had threatened him with being benched on expeditions to Tartarus. This made Mitsuru smile, since that sounded awfully familiar to herself whenever someone had angered her.

Her attention was split between her own studying and Minato's. She was amazed that despite being absent for a week, he was excelling at his schoolwork.

"Looks like you have some competition, Mitsuru." Akihiko noticed her looking over at Minato, and teased her.

"You should be more focused on your own studying, Akihiko. Besides, we should all be aiming to do well. This isn't a sports tournament." Mitsuru could hear some laughs on the other end of the table, but nothing from Minato.

"If it was, I'd ace it." Junpei showed off a care free smile.

"I highly doubt that. You can't do normal tests properly." Yukari's comments left Junpei speechless.

Akihiko, Junpei and Yukari were all sharing notes with each other, but Minato was silent with his headphones in. He seemed to be a completely different person than he was when he and Mitsuru were alone in the student council room.

Is it only her he is like that with?

That can't be the case. He's become a lot more sociable with his peers, even though he doesn't reciprocate any conversation. She noticed he only listens, and gives his opinion at times when it's needed. He doesn't burden anyone with his problems, or ask for help.

"Well." Mitsuru closed her notebook. "I think we can finish here. Goodnight everyone, and good luck with your exams."

Everyone, apart from Minato, said 'Thank you' to her before leaving the table. Minato gave her a smile and a small nod. Was that his way of showing appreciation?

Maybe some day, he'll be more open with everyone.

Maybe some day, he'll be more open with her.

5/27/2009 - Gekkoukan High School - Lunch Time

Mitsuru was walking down the hallway when she heard a student shout at a volume that the whole school surely heard.

"They've posted the exam results!"

Mitsuru wasn't worried about her own results. She had already proven on numerous occasions that she has the ability to bring perfect scores.

She was curious about her teammates.

She stood patiently behind the amassing crowd, waiting for the commotion to die down before she could review their scores. Once she deemed it calm enough, she took a step towards the board, and skimmed through the names before she found them.

Junpei had scored quite low, which had brought Mitsuru disappointment and mild anger. She made a mental note to approach him about it. Akihiko and Yukari had both scored above the average, which had calmed her down.

Then she saw his.

He got the highest in the year.

She was very impressed with Minato. Despite having to manage his time between going to student council meetings, going to clubs, and ascending Tartarus, he was able to bring a near perfect percentage.

Mitsuru had similar responsibilities, minus the occasional Kirijo Group meeting with her father, but she had been experienced with it for far longer than he had.

She stared at the board for a little while longer, before she could hear the faint sound of music behind her. And judging by the song choice, she knew who it was.

"Well done, Arisato." She turned towards him, seeing that even getting the top score didn't break his aloof nature. "I'm very impressed with your placement."

Her words were able to chip at it though, as he gave a small smile. "Thanks, senpai."

She smiled back at him, which only made his bigger, even only slightly. Was she getting through to him?

"Will I see you at the student council meeting today?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." His smile remained.

"Good. I'll see you then." She turned away, her smile growing even more.

Maybe, just maybe...

Something could happen.

6/1/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

(Minato's POV)

S.E.E.S was making progress in Tartarus. They had made it to another blocked point, and Akihiko was finally able to join in the fight. His style, unsurprisingly, was mainly fighting using his fists. His Persona, Polydeuces, reflected his personality well, as it used lightning skills, perhaps due to his technique when in the ring.

Minato was sat in the lounge, listening to his music, before Yukari came up to him.

"Hey, Arisato-kun? Have you heard of this ghost story going around at school?" Yukari looked scared. She must be afraid of ghosts.

Minato remembered he heard Kenji mention something like that, but Minato disregarded it. He wasn't the type of person to believe in those sorts of rumors.

"I have, why?"

Her tone had a hint of worry in it "Well, 2 girls were found unconscious at school. Apparently, everyone thinks it was a ghost."

Could it not have been Apathy Syndrome? But even then, why were they at school?

"Oh, are you guys talking about that ghost story?" Junpei added himself into the conversation. "We should take a look into it. After all, isn't that what S.E.E.S is for?"

"S.E.E.S is specifically for Shadows." Mitsuru heard Junpei's loud expression from the other side of the room. "But it sounds interesting. You three should look into it."

"Hell yeah!" Junpei raised his fist in the air

"What?! Are we really doing this?" Yukari looked even more worried now.

"Why the face, Yuka-tan? You scared?" His teasing expression wasn't particularly tasteful.

"No!" Yukari looked offended, as if she hadn't been scared all this time, and she took Junpei's words as a challenge. "Let's do it then!"

Minato hadn't paid attention to the conversation fully, but he understood what was required of him. The second years agreed to look around for clues on this ghost story before calling it a night.

Minato's Room - Dark Hour

Minato was in bed before he heard a rustle next to him.

"Hey there. You did it." The boy looked towards Minato, who had grown used to his sudden appearances. "You're getting stronger it seems. You will need it next week."

"Is there danger coming?" Minato assumed that's what the boy has been eluding to.

"Yeah. I'm glad you remembered." The boy gave a smile towards him. "Good luck."

He vanished again, leaving Minato alone in his room.

Is there a pattern to this?

6/6/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

(Mitsuru's POV)

Mitsuru and Akihiko were alone in the dorm. Minato had informed her yesterday after the student council meeting that he, Yukari and Junpei were following up on a lead regarding the ghost story. She was glad he told her, and that he wasn't so short with his wording as per usual.

She was drinking some tea in the lounge, whilst Akihiko was tending to his boxing gloves. They were wondering what had kept the second years out so late, and it did make Mitsuru concerned for them.

Eventually, the front door opened, and Yukari and Junpei came in together, with Minato slightly behind.

But something was off. She noticed Yukari's expression looking sour, before she turned to Minato.

He had a bruise forming on his face.

"Arisato!" She shot up from her seat, almost knocking her tea over in the process. "What happened?"

Yukari spoke up. She said how the lead they were following took them to the alley behind Tatsumi Port Station. She didn't take their unwelcome presence into account, since as soon as they entered, the three of them were gaining glares.

1 hour earlier

(Minato's POV)

"Yuka-tan." Junpei's voice was quiet. "We shouldn't be here."

"You're right. You shouldn't." A voice came from infront of them. "But we can take care of her, don't worry."

A group of thugs were approaching them, some of them coming up from behind. Yukari wasn't intimidated by them, which had only made them angry, and one of them had raised their hand at her. Minato had grabbed their forearm, and shot a glare much like Mitsuru would at someone who made her angry.

"You got a f*cking death wish, kid?!" The man's voice was filled with anger.

Minato's face remained unchanged. "Wanna find out?"

Yukari and Junpei were shocked by his words. This was the same boy who remains quiet for 90% of the day. The only time he spoke like this was within Tartarus, and his current expression matched it too.

Perhaps it wasn't just Tartarus that gave him this sensation.

Perhaps it was just the action.

The thug pulled his other hand back, forming a fist. Minato took this opportunity, and sucker punched him in the nose with his left hand, before landing a hook with his right, immediately knocking the man down.

This only brought more attention to them. Minato was preparing for a fight, whilst Junpei and Yukari were preparing to run.

"Leave them alone."

A man in a red trench coat stood up from his seat on a barrel, and positioned himself next to Minato.

"You wanna join him, asshole?!"

The crowd of thugs got closer to them, but were focused on Minato and the man beside him, completely forgetting about Yukari and Junpei.

The person in the trench coat turned to Minato. "You know how to fight, kid?"

Minato nodded in response.

This feeling.

It was the same whenever he fought Shadows.

It felt good.

5 minutes later

The gang of thugs were all on the floor, clutching at any body part that was injured. One of them got lucky enough that they punched Minato in the face, but the punch he dealt back was enough to knock him flat.

As the dust settled, the man turned to the second years. "You're all from Gekkoukan, aren't you. Why the hell are you wandering around in a place like this?"

Yukari approached him and spoke up. "Because we needed answers. Something's going around at school."

"You mean the ghost story?"

She nodded.

"I don't know much. But those two girls that were found, they came here a lot to party. They mentioned about them bullying a girl named Yamagishi."

Yamagishi. She was a girl in 2-E.

"Don't come back here, you got that?"

Yukari stuttered, but spoke before he left. "Thank you for helping us!" She bowed towards him, but he just grunted and left the alley.

Current time

(Mitsuru's POV)

"Yamagishi." Akihiko brought his hand to his chin. "We were looking at bringing her on. We think she has the potential." Him revealing that information raised the eyelids of Junpei and Yukari, but Minato was as stoic as ever. "But she's been off school for the past week." He sighed. "Shinji. What're you doing?"

"What you three did was incredibly reckless." The second years, barring Minato, were disappointed with themselves after Mitsuru's words. "But, you did get useful information. Akihiko and I will look into it. You should get some rest."

Minato went ahead past the group to his room, whilst the others stayed in the lounge. Mitsuru took this opportunity to grab Minato some ice for the bruise, and brought it to him without anyone noticing, and before he went into his room.

"Arisato." She extended her arm, handing over the bag of ice to him. "Take this."

Minato probably would've denied this had it come from someone else, but since it was her, he accepted it. "Thanks, senpai."

"What you did was dangerous. You could've gotten extremely hurt, worse than what you have already."

Minato looked down at his feet, assumingly disappointed with himself.

"But, the situation had called for it. And in any case, I'm glad you're okay." She made a small smile at him, which made him smile back.

She left him to go back downstairs, but he still lingered within her mind.

Why did he do that?

He could've gotten hurt.

Or worse.

But he didn't.

And he was appreciative of her helping.

At least she thought.

Was she making progress? Would he open up to her more?

If only he would.

She hoped he would.

6/8/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

(Minato's POV)

S.E.E.S was gathered at the lounge. Over the past couple days, Mitsuru was investigating the disappearance of Fuuka Yamagishi. As it turns out, Fuuka hadn't been seen for the last 10 days, and that she hadn't returned home. This was because of a girl called Moriyama, who Fuuka believed was her friend. She locked her in the gym overnight, but Moriyama's friends thought she might commit suicide, so they went looking for her. That's how they ended up being found unconscious at school. They wandered into Tartarus during the Dark Hour.

"The plan is to enter Tartarus the same way Yamagishi did." Akihiko was very serious about this plan, more than he normally is. "We think that even though its been 10 days for us, it's been 10 hours for her, since she's only been in Tartarus."

"As much as I don't like this plan, we don't have much of a choice in the matter." Mitsuru's textbook concerned face appeared. "Moriyama will remain here, so she doesn't wander around during the Dark Hour."

Everyone has their gear ready: Junpei rested his blade on his shoulder, Yukari was tightening her quiver, and Minato was looking into the blade of his weapon.

"Arisato. You will lead us again. You haven't led us astray yet."

Minato nodded with determination in his eyes.

"Wait. Let me on the team today. I wanna make up for what happened last month." Junpei's face looked genuine. He wanted to do better.

"Alright." Minato wanted Junpei to prove himself, so he allowed him to make it up to him.

"I'll join you two. Takeba-san, you stay with Mitsuru at the entrance of Tartarus, incase we need backup." Akihiko was prepared to win again, especially after he got sidelined 2 months ago.

"What? You want me to stay with Kirijo-senpai?" Yukari was clearly uncomfortable with the request, but she didn't deny it for the sake of the team.

After last-minute preparations were finished, S.E.E.S made their way to Gekkoukan High School to save Fuuka Yamagishi.

Tartarus(???) - Dark Hour

The plan worked. By using the gym, the operations team was transported to a random floor of Tartarus, but they were separated.

"Ar... ind... hiko... ve... ishi..." Mitsuru's communication couldn't reach to Minato, so he was on his own.

He carefully made his way through the floor, its wall coloured in a deep shade of purple, with weird face-like structures in the walls. There were Shadows crawling everywhere around him, and as much as he would like to fight them, he needed to save Fuuka.

After a few minutes, Minato had found Junpei and Akihiko together.

"Oh dude, thank God you're okay." Junpei made it sound like Minato was in danger.

"Do you have any idea where Yamagishi-san is?" Minato was hoping for a response from either of them.

Before he could get one however, he heard a voice from behind. "Y-Yamagishi?" The voice sounded frail and weak.

Minato turned around to see a girl, shorter than the other girls in S.E.E.S, with cyan hair, matching her sweater underneath her uniform.

"So you must be Yamagishi-san, correct?" Akihiko approached her, but she flinched as he neared her. She must've been terrified. "Its okay. We are here to save you."

Before any more words could be exchanged, Mitsuru was shouting in their minds "Ar... lar... ...dow at ent... need ba..."

Fuuka clutched at her chest. "There's something large. And dangerous. I can sense it."

"You can sense it?! Is that how you've survived all this time?" Junpei, whilst the way he spoke sounded confused, was correct in his logic.

"No time to think now! We gotta save Mitsuru and Takeba-san!"

The boys nodded at eachother, Minato taking point whilst Junpei followed shortly behind, and Akihiko keeping a hold onto Fuuka.

A few minutes later

Minato had led the others back to the entrance of Tartarus, only to find Yukari and Mitsuru injured, and two large Shadows looming over them.

"Our attacks did nothing against it! It's completely invulnerable!" Mitsuru's voice echoed within the chamber.

Before the boys even had a chance to strike, Moriyama stumbled her way into Tartarus, directly towards the Shadows.

"Moriyama-san!" Fuuka escaped Akihiko's grasp and ran towards her.

"Junpei, Akihiko! Go for the Shadows! I'll protect Fuuka!" Minato's order was loud, but followed swiftly, as Junpei and Akihiko took the attention of the Shadows whilst Minato ran towards Fuuka.

"I'm sorry Fuuka. I'm sorry for what I did to you!" Moriyama was wailing, which sometimes led the Shadows towards her, but either Junpei or Akihiko would direct them away.

Fuuka was kneeled infront of her, and when Minato caught up, he turned around, only to see Junpei and Akihiko taken down too.

sh*t.

The feeling came back.

Minato's uncanny smile, the one reserved for moments like this, returned.

He raised his Evoker to his head.

"Rakshasa!"

A Hindu demon emerged, and charged at the taller Shadow, slashing at it with its dual swords.

Nothing.

His smile widened.

"Berith!"

A knight atop a red steed galloped towards the larger Shadow, and tried to pierce it with its spear.

Still nothing.

"Principality!"

An angel cast a spell of light at the larger Shadow.

It did nothing.

His smile could not get wider.

One more time.

"Fortuna! Mazio!"

A lightning bolt struck both of the Shadows. And the taller one stumbled.

He found it. At least what the taller one was weak to.

But then, it stood up, and various colours appeared from around them. Minato took the opportunity.

"Fortuna!"

The lightning struck them. But it did nothing.

He was out of options.

He clutched his aikuchi tight. And charged at the taller Shadow himself.

He could hear his teammates calling his name.

Only one stood out.

"Minato!"

It was her. She said it again.

She said his name.

Again.

He leaped to its face, preparing to strike it.

But nothing happened.

And he was launched, landing only inches infront of Fuuka.

So this was it.

This is how he'd die.

He wasn't upset.

He never was.

Or was he?

"Lucia!"

A large shock wave came from behind Minato. He turned around, only to see Fuuka holding his Evoker.

And a Persona sheltering her.

"I can see it. I can see their weaknesses!"

Fuuka's awakening brought the fight back in the guys of the team.

Junpei raised his sword high above him, Akihiko clenched his fists tight, and Minato took back his Evoker.

He was ready.

"Round 2!" Akihiko shouted.

The combination of Fuuka's information and Minato's orders were what the team needed to gain the edge. Lightning, fire, and many different elements and attacks were used to have the upper hand.

Both of the Shadows were knocked to the ground.

"I've been waiting for this!"

"Let's do this!"

"Come on!"

Each of the guys charged at the Shadows, Junpei and Akihiko pummelling one to death, whilst Minato sliced the other in two.

They'd won.

She did it again.

She called him Minato.

Again.

Notes:

Hey again! Just something I want to address before you read the next chapter, but I'm changing how I swap POV's, to where its just a line, just so it doesn't pull people out as hard. Also, this chapter is going to get very dark, so I would prepare for it since it is pretty heavy, and I want to caution people who may get triggered by this. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

The operation to save Fuuka was a success. Despite the interruption from the large Shadows, S.E.E.S was able to bring her out of Tartarus, and reveal her as a potential teammate, since she awoke to her own Persona.

Minato had strolled out of Tartarus slightly ahead of the group, but Akihiko called for him.

"Arisato-san! I need to discuss something with you."

Minato turned around to wait for his senpai to catch up, with the rest of S.E.E.S in tow.

"The moon. Do you remember if it was full on the night you awoke to your Persona?"

Akihiko's question made Minato pause for a moment. He was curious as to what brought this about, but he remembered the moon vividly, that it was strangely beautiful.

And it was full.

"Yeah. It was." Minato's confirmation did not ease Akihiko's suspicions.

He turned to the moon, and it too was full.

"It's the same as last month, when you fought the Shadow on the monorail."

Something clicked in Minato's head.

The boys warnings.

He was warning him about the large Shadows.

And they always came on a full moon.

"You must've just realised it too." Akihiko smirked. "We should share this with the team. If my theory is right, then every full moon from here on will have a Shadow just like them."

Every full moon.

How many will he have to fight?

How many times before it eventually became too much?

6/11/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Evening

Mitsuru had gathered S.E.E.S to the control room to discuss Fuuka and her joining the team. She and Akihiko were very persistent on her being added to their ranks, as she would be a far better navigator than Mitsuru is currently, which would then mean Mitsuru can return to the front lines.

Junpei was also quite excited about her joining the dorm, but that was because of him simply wanting more girls in the dorm. She and Yukari both glared at him, immediately shooting down any further input from him.

Minato was the same as always when gathered with everyone, but he did come to Mitsuru earlier when she was alone to give his opinion on Fuuka joining. Putting aside the feelings she felt that he came to her alone, and began speaking with her, he stated that she would be great for exploring Tartarus, and for the upcoming battles with the large Shadows.

Yukari was quite reserved before Fuuka entered, not giving much attention to Mitsuru's question, or the team for that matter. Mitsuru was unsure about why she was acting like this, but Yukari had been uncomfortable when alone with her, especially during the mission to save Fuuka.

After discussing it between each other, Fuuka had been invited in by Ikutsuki, and sat down next to Minato. This sent a strange feeling down Mitsuru, who turned away as soon as she noticed it. Was she harbouring some sort of jealousy? She just sat down next to him, it's not like they even knew each other.

Ikutsuki took his own seat before he gave Fuuka the same explanation Minato had received two months ago. She took it much more seriously than he did, showing Mitsuru how unique Minato's personality was.

Periodically, Mitsuru would quickly glance at Minato, who seemed as unbothered as usual. He had his headphones in, so perhaps he was listening to music to keep himself occupied whilst Ikutsuki would inform Fuuka of S.E.E.S and their mission.

She snapped back into the conversation when she noticed Ikutsuki finish speaking, and asked Fuuka if she would join the team and help fight the Shadows.

"Don't feel as if you are being forced to do this. You don't have to." Yukari looked briefly at Mitsuru, which had irked her. Was she trying to dissuade her?

"I'll do it. I want to join you." Despite Fuuka's seemingly timid nature, she seemed very serious about this.

This sent a varied amount of reactions. Minato was completely neutral: either oblivious or lacked the care for it. Ikutsuki, Akihiko and Mitsuru all shared the same smile, and Junpei was even more joyful. Yukari still looked distressed, but brought about a smile when Fuuka looked in her direction.

Another member. They are getting stronger.

This means she can go into the field.

This means she can fight with him.

6/12/2009 - Minato's Room - Dark Hour

Minato was staring blankly at the ceiling when he was interrupted by the Dark Hour. He was listening to the song 'When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars' which is the same song he was listening to when he went out with Elizabeth today, before it was cutoff. He showed her around Paulownia Mall, where she was particularly intrigued by the club. She was, however, disappointed that it was closed during the daytime, but that didn't deter her from dancing in the middle of the mall. Most people would feel extremely embarrassed by her, but Minato wasn't bothered by her antics. She, nevertheless, appreciated his efforts to take her out and she was planning for another outing with him.

He continued to stare at his ceiling, but he turned to his side. He felt a presence was about to appear in his room.

The boy appeared once again.

"I knew you were coming that time." Minato began the conversation, which was different than how they normally interacted.

"Oh, that's good. You made it past the danger once again." The boy smiled. "I'm glad you did."

Minato nodded at him. The boy probably didn't understand this, but Minato was showing some appreciation for his words.

"I've been watching you for some time, and seeing you fight against danger; it is nice to see"

He paused for a moment, and his smiled faded.

"I've recalled something since we last spoke. The end is coming, and I'm pretty sure it's unavoidable."

Minato was silent. He wasn't sure if he was at a loss for words, or he simply didn't care.

"But it's weird. I feel like it isn't as unavoidable, because of the vast potential inside you. And your power has been getting stronger too."

The boy smiled again.

"Can I be your friend? I'm curious as to how you will continue with your potential. What do you say?"

Minato thought for a moment. This boy was strange, but he was the only one who seemed to understand his power more than anyone else. Perhaps he could help Minato understand it himself.

Plus, he mentioned something about 'the end'. It doesn't make sense not to find out what that means.

"Sure, but I don't know your name." Minato accepted, but was wondering what the boy would call himself.

"My name..."

He stopped, seemingly thinking to himself.

"My name... is Pharos." He smiled wide. "I hope we get along."

The Dark Hour was coming to an end.

"Well, I must be going now. I'll see you soon." Pharos waved goodbye before disappearing, and the Dark Hour soon ended, bringing life back to Minato's mp3 player.

Minato just became friends with a boy that appears and disappears from thin air.

What was happening to him?

6/15/2009 - Student Council Room - After School

Minato and Mitsuru were once again the only ones remaining in the Student Council Room. The meeting was still about Odagiri's obsession with finding the culprit to the cigarette, even though it happened a month ago. As expected, he reverted to his old reasonings, and directing accusations towards Minato, and the meeting was cut short by Mitsuru.

There was a large silence when it became just the two of them. Neither of them spoke, which clearly wasn't a huge issue for Minato, but then Mitsuru said something which snapped him back to reality in an instant.

"I've noticed that you've been more sociable with me as of late, Arisato." She finished what she was doing and approached him. "But the same can't be said for when you are with others, or when we are in a group. Is everything okay?"

He turned to face her, and she could see there was not much presently happening regarding his expression.

"I'm..." He paused for a moment, which brought even more concern for Mitsuru. "I'm not sure."

Minato knew his words sent worry down Mitsuru's spine. But he didn't want to keep her concerned with no explanation.

"It's... difficult to explain." He turned and approached the window next to them. "Whenever I tried to sleep, I would get nightmares of the day I lost my family. It kept me up at night so much that I could barely get through the day. Recently, it stopped, but the awful sleep was still occurring. And I just feel... empty now."

His words made Mitsuru's heart drop.

"I can't even remember much of it now. All that's left is..." He stopped speaking, but his mouth was still left open.

"Arisato. You don't need to continue." Mitsuru tried to reassure him, wanting to reach out an arm to him, but remembering what happened last time, she stopped herself.

"It's okay, senpai." He made a deep and long sigh. "All I remember is the feeling of holding my sister in my arms. But the worst part is that I don't remember their faces."

Mitsuru's turned her head to the side, and wiped her face with her arm. Minato hadn't noticed this, as he continued.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this either." He turned to look at her, and she saw there was absolutely nothing on his face. He's completely changed since last month. Although he didn't show much emotion around everyone, he did occasionally to her. But even when they are alone now, he isn't showing much at all. What changed in him?

"I just feel more comfortable with you than I do with others. You have been better to me than most of my foster parents." He looked back at the window. "I'm not sure why you are, but you are nonetheless."

Mitsuru, whilst externally she was headstrong, internally she was fighting the urge to hold him and apologise for everything that's happened to him. Minato looked back at her, which had only made her inside battle even harder, since his expression was still completely blank. There were no frowns, no tears. Not even any shift in his eyes suggesting he wasn't okay.

He pulled out his phone and checked it, before immediately flipping it shut.

"Sorry, senpai, but I have to go. I have homework to do for history class." He turned to leave before spinning back and saying 'Thank you' before he left.

This was bad. He lost the memory of his families death. All he remembers is the most traumatic part, where he held his dying sister in his arms.

He couldn't remember their faces.

He feels empty.

He had either found a Persona skill that causes amnesia.

Or it was something much worse.

And Mitsuru knew it was the latter.

Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Evening

Mitsuru had called Akihiko to the control room to discuss Minato's condition. She had suspicions on various causes, but she wanted more info to narrow it down.

She was looking at the control screen, but there was nothing playing on it. She was remembering to when she saw Minato awake to his Persona.

She hated that he had to live with this burden. She hated that he had to suffer for almost 10 years.

And it was all her family's fault.

She was startled by Akihiko's entrance into the room, but he hadn't noticed anything.

"You wanted to talk, Mitsuru?"

"Yes." She sighed, looking away from the screen and at him. "It's about Arisato."

"If this is about him replacing you as the leader, you might want to talk to him about that." Akihiko was as oblivious as ever.

If only that were the case.

"Can you tell me what he's like in Tartarus? Any behaviour that seems odd?"

He looked confused as to why she was asking this. "His behaviour? I guess he can be a little reckless. Maybe too reckless." Akihiko pauses for a moment. "But only to himself. He takes significantly more hits than the others do within fights, and he always tries to take hits that are directed at us whenever possible."

That's what Mitsuru was worried about.

"That's not all. His attitude seems different too. He becomes more... active when in Tartarus. It's almost like looking at a different person entirely. He's aggressive. Violent."

Mitsuru held her breath.

"He doesn't seem to care about himself in there either. He sometimes refuses to be healed by Takeba, but only when me or Junpei aren't looking. She told me this a couple weeks ago, and said she was worried about him."

Her suspicions were right. Minato was suffering.

"Thank you Akihiko. That's all I needed to hear." She made it look like she was okay, but inside she was distraught.

Akihiko nodded, and left her alone in the control room.

Mitsuru's eyes began to get cloudy, and she felt a lump in her throat.

Why him?

6/30/2009 - Minato's Room - Dark Hour

The past couple of weeks have been uneventful, to say at the very least. Tartarus had opened up more, and Mitsuru was very adamant on being put on the front lines. But 5 people exploring Tartarus in one group could get messy, and someone needed to protect Fuuka if she were ambushed, so Minato brought in Mitsuru for Junpei, with Junpei believing that he was being held back as their ace up their sleeve. The exploration of the new floors went well with Mitsuru now on the team, but she would always stick with Minato, and distressing him from doing certain strategies. He wasn't fond of this, but she was a strong member, so he kept her on the front lines.

He laid in his bed, knowing he wasn't going to sleep tonight. He checked his calender, and saw that a full moon was coming in a week.

He counted down with his fingers, and as he reached zero, Pharos appeared.

"There's danger in a week, I assume?"

"Yeah, you're right." Pharos smiled, but Minato didn't reciprocate. "I believe in you."

Their conversation was short, and Pharos vanished again. Minato felt a strange sense of familiarity with him, but couldn't guess why. He placed his headphones over his ears and listened to music, waiting for his body to force him to sleep.

7/7/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room

S.E.E.S was gathered into the control room by Mitsuru, preparing for the large Shadows appearance.

Mitsuru scanned the room for everyone's attendance, but spent significantly longer looking at Minato than everyone else. But it was with a severely concerned face. Why was she acting like that towards him all of a sudden?

All of a sudden, Fuuka gasps as her Persona disappears.

"I've found the Shadow! It's on Shirakawa Boulevard!"

Junpei began mischievously grinning "Shirakawa Boulevard, eh? That's where most couples go to-" His sentence was stopped abruptly when he noticed Mitsuru staring directly at him.

They left the dorm, and eventually made it to a hotel in the street.

"It's in here." Fuuka quietly spoke.

"Champs de Fleurs..." Mitsuru's sudden French had surprised Junpei and Yukari, but Minato was unphased. Her concerned look returned when she saw him.

"I'm going to nominate myself for this mission, and I recommend Takeba and Akihiko to join in too." Mitsuru looked serious for a moment. Her joining means he was going to have to rein it in, but it would give them a better chance at success.

"Alright. Junpei, stay here with Fuuka." Junpei was shocked by this choice, since he was hoping to 'get some action' as he put it. But he didn't argue with the choice and soon after, the team went inside.

After a short amount of time, they found the Shadow they were hunting.

The feeling was back.

He formed a wide smile, but it was interrupted by Mitsuru's stare. But it wasn't the stare she'd give someone if they'd said something wrong or she was irritated.

It was something else.

The feeling grew weaker and his smile faded.

"This Shadow may be large, but I'm not sensing any actual strength from it. We can attack from different angles, diverting it's attention, and then we go for the kill. Understood?"

They all nodded.

The feeling returned.

Stronger.

Fiercer.

Holding it back made it more powerful.

They all overwhelmed the Shadow, hitting it with a combination of attacks from all of their Personas. It didn't get a hit on anyone before it was destroyed by a blast from one of Minato's Personas, Mitra.

Barely even exhausted, they prepared to leave, but was blocked by some force.

"There's a Shadow still in there!"

What? There's another Shadow in here?

Whe-

Give in to your desires.

She was washing herself in the shower, watching droplets fall down her nude body.

It is what you want.

She turned the water off and grabbed a towel, drying her long blood red hair, and then wrapping it around her.

Live in the moment with him.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and saw him, topless.

And they locked eyes.

He stood up from the bed, and slowly approached her, not breaking eye contact. He stopped, making the distance between their lips only a single head movement away from touching.

She brings her hands to his face, and looks down at his body.

The sight of his body sent a shiver down her spine.

But not a shiver she enjoyed.

And she snaps out of it.

She pulled herself away, speechless at what she was seeing. The scars varied from small welts to large cuts, and the prominent burn on his arm that extended to his chest.

And there were so many.

Mitsuru looks back at Minato, who still seemed to be under control by something.

He blinked. And his eyes widened.

And he snapped out of it.

He looked down, and saw that everything he was disgusted about himself was on display, right infront of Mitsuru.

His heart began to race.

His breath became short.

He began to tremble.

He was in complete shock.

He stumbled backwards, tripping on the bedframe.

He became dizzy.

He was sweating profusely.

He felt nauseous.

Mitsuru stood, motionless, stunned by what she just saw.

She saw him, having a panic attack.

And she hated every second of it.

She didn't know what do to.

He probably hates her being there.

But she couldn't just leave.

What could she do?

She does the first thing she thought of, she grabbed his shirt and placed it near him, before grabbing her own clothes and leaving the room.

He probably wanted nothing to do with her.

He probably hated her.

But then Fuuka called out to her before she could leave.

"Kirijo-senpai! I lost you and Arisato-san for a moment." She paused for a second. "Did something happen? You and Arisato-san look distressed."

"I'm okay." She wanted to look back at him, but she knew he would only hate it more. "But Arisato is incapable of continuing. Send in Iori, I'm going to bring Arisato out and then go back in."

"Oh... okay."

She knew she couldn't leave him in here. Even if he would hate her guts, she had to help him.

She turned around, and saw he had hastily put his shirt on, and had curled up into a ball, still in complete shock.

Her heart broke at the sight of him.

She slowly approached him, but he didn't register her. She crouched infront of him, but keeping a distance to not make things worse.

She tried to think of something she could do, something her father did whenever she was scared.

It was the only thing she could do.

"Arisato." She said his name softly, but no response.

Her eyes began to water.

"Arisato." Her voice quivered. She was going to cry infront of him, and it would only make things worse.

There was still no response.

She held in her tears, trying to be strong for him.

"Minato." His first name. He looked at her, his breath short and exhausted.

"I need you to close your eyes, and breathe at my pace, okay?" She made sure to speak in a gentle tone, so she doesn't startle him.

He looked at her dead in the eyes, but then he slowly shut them, and followed the pace of her breath.

The small breaths stopped, and the dizziness in his eyes faded. But he was still shaking.

This was unbearable for Mitsuru to see.

She did this to him.

"I'm taking you out of here, Minato." She kept using his first name. She didn't want to even tempt another reaction. "Can you stand up on your own?"

He remained still for a moment, before pulling himself up without saying a word. She took him to the entrance where Fuuka was currently at, and he sat on the concrete floor of the pavement.

"Kirijo-senpai. W-What happened?"

She knew she couldn't say anything about it.

Not right now.

"He's unable to fight, Yamagishi. Just focus on the mission for now."

She gave Mitsuru a nod, but her face was plastered with worry.

Mitsuru took one last look at Minato, who was curled up into a ball, and went back inside.

As much as she hated leaving him...

She had a mission.

She followed the muffled voices of the team, finding them stood outside the same room where they fought the first Shadow.

"Mitsuru. What happened with Arisato-san?" Akihiko spoke first, and all 3 of them had the same facial expression Fuuka had.

"I'll explain everything later. For now, we need to take that Shadow down."

She will make that Shadow pay.

She will make it suffer for what it did.

She will get revenge for his pain.

She saw them.

All of them.

Every scar.

Every bit of trauma he's been through.

And he couldn't think straight.

He couldn't face her after that.

She looked disgusted with them.

She looked disgusted with him.

Why did she have to see them?

Why?

7/8/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Evening

Mitsuru couldn't stop thinking about the night before. His face. Her reaction.

She hated herself for it.

She was alone in the control room, waiting for the rest of S.E.E.S to come up.

When she saw Minato enter the dorm earlier, he immediately went to his room, not looking at anyone in the dorm.

She hated everything her family did.

A few tears formed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but cry, even just a little. She had held it in for him, but seeing his pain hurt her in a way she's never felt.

The door opened behind her, and it was everyone, except for Minato.

"Kirijo-senpai? Are you crying?" Yukari asked, which somewhat surprised her, since Mitsuru believed she was uncomfortable with her.

She wiped her eyes before addressing them all. "Don't worry about me." She paused. "We need to talk about what happened last night."

They all took a seat around the table, and Mitsuru took the seat at the head.

"I've been... concerned about Mi- Arisato's wellbeing recently." She almost said his first name in front of everyone. She hoped no one picked up on it. "His behaviour has shifted past his normal out of Tartarus, and it is particularly worrying in it."

"Yeah. I've been worried about the dude for a bit now." Junpei wasn't his joyful self today.

"Before I explain my suspicions, I want to state that I will not be mentioning what happened to him yesterday, but only that he had a panic attack." She knew that something this serious could absolutely not even be uttered to them.

"Oh no..." Fuuka was extremely quiet.

"When I spoke to him a few weeks ago, he mentioned things that worried me. He forgot the details of..." They don't know what happened to his family.

"Forgot what, Mitsuru?" Akihiko looked worried.

She couldn't tell them now. But maybe she has to. So that they can understand better.

Mitsuru took a deep breath. "He forgot the details of the accident he lost his family in." The room went silent. "10 years ago, his family got into a crash. Neither of his parents survived the impact, and his sister died in his arms."

She heard a few sniffles in the room. Fuuka was covering her mouth, and Yukari was wiping her eyes. Junpei and Akihiko were holding their faces in different ways, but they were both clearly distraught.

"As much as I hate to say, that's not it. He also doesn't remember anything that happened before that either. And he feels empty. Like he's disconnected with his emotions. He told me he doesn't sleep well at all because of nightmares, and even though they stopped, he still couldn't sleep."

Everyone looked at her with shock.

"All of this, plus how he behaves when in Tartarus and out on missions, and... what happened yesterday, I think I have a reason as to why this is the case."

There was nothing said.

"I've spoken with various doctors, and they've all come to the same conclusion."

The tension in the room was so sharp, you could hear a pin drop.

"They all believe he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder."

Everyone gasped. Yukari began to sob. Mitsuru almost did the same.

"I called you all here so you all understand what I want to do. I want to help him. I don't care about Shadows, or the mission right now." Her voice began to shake. "I just want him to be okay."

Tears fell down her face. She was never like this in front of anyone.

"I don't know what will happen regarding our expeditions to Tartarus. As much as I would prefer we don't go until he gets better, we may not be able to afford that."

"What do you need us to do?" Fuuka fought through the tears forming on her face.

"Be there for him if you can. He's suffering in a way none of us can truly understand, but we can help him when he needs it."

There were determined nods coming from everyone. They all wanted him better too.

"Thank you, everyone. Soon, I am going to try to speak to Arisato." She wiped the tears off of her, and her tone became resolute. "I want to help him, and I'm happy you will be there too."

Please, Minato.

I'm sorry.

Let me help you.

Notes:

Right! This chapter did make me feel a lil bit partway through, but like I said in the first notes, I want this to be a darker fanfic, and I thought this would be a great way to portray these ideas. I tried to represent it as best as I possibly could, but if anyone has any criticisms or anything about how I've portrayed Minato and his mental health, please let me know. Thanks for the comments and the kudos and checking out this fanfic!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

7/10/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Mitsuru was sat silent in the lounge. It had been 3 days since the last full moon operation, and no one has heard a word from Minato. Junpei and Yukari had told her that he was attending class, which did somewhat alleviate her worries, but he stayed silent throughout the lesson, and left immediately when it was finished. Mitsuru was unsure how he was eating, since whenever he returned to the dorm he went straight to his room. She had hoped he was at the very least, buying something to keep him going, but the thought that he was starving himself hadn't escaped her mind.

She had to do something.

Even if he didn't want her to.

She was the only one in the dorm currently, which surprised her since there was a student council meeting today. Minato didn't attend the one today, or the one before that. Fushimi and Odagiri were asking her of his whereabouts, but she quickly brushed them aside, saying he was feeling a little sick.

Fuuka and Yukari came in and saw Mitsuru sat silently on the couch.

"Has he come back yet?" Yukari was quiet, being cautious of the possibility he had returned and could hear her somehow.

Mitsuru shook her head. She knew her response either way would've dampened their moods.

The two girls came and sat on the seats around her, but for a full minute, no words were spoken. She knew they understood the gravity of the situation, but they just didn't know how they could help him.

Fuuka broke the silence. "What do you think we should do, senpai?" Her voice was shaking. "I'm really worried about him."

"He looked exhausted today in class. I don't think he's been sleeping much, if at all." Yukari looked worried as well.

Mitsuru sighed as she looked at her kouhai. "I'm planning on speaking to him today. He needs someone with him, and despite... what happened on the seventh, I think I am best suited for it."

Fuuka and Yukari nodded, agreeing with Mitsuru's idea.

They changed the topic to their studies since the exam finals are approaching, and soon after, Minato walks through the front door, blasting music in his ears loud enough that Mitsuru can faintly hear it.

The girls suddenly stopped speaking as he walked past them, immediately going up the stairs.

Yukari was right. He did look exhausted. Was his sleep worsened because of her?

Please don't be because of me.

"I'm going to give him some time before I go to him. I don't want to overwhelm him."

The girls stayed in the lounge, before Yukari and Fuuka went to their rooms to study for the finals next week. Junpei soon arrived, and then Akihiko. Akihiko tried to reassure Mitsuru, saying how he's sure that Minato will get better. She wanted to believe him. She really did.

This was all her family's fault.

This was all her fault.

Some time passed, and everyone was down eating various kinds of meals.

Everyone but Minato.

He didn't leave Mitsuru's mind once. She regretted her actions in the hotel. She regretted bringing him onto S.E.E.S.

For the first time in her life, only briefly, she regretted being a Kirijo.

She finished her meal, but stared at the remnants for a moment. She pondered on how she was going to approach Minato. Will he even let her in? Will he talk to her? Listen to her?

She took a deep breath, and everyone around her knew exactly what she was about to do, judging by the looks she got. She stood up from the table, and made her way to Minato's room.

She stood infront of his door, but couldn't bring herself to knock just yet. She planted her ear on the door to see if she could hear any music.

Nothing.

Another deep breath.

She had to try.

Mitsuru knocked on the door. "Arisato? Are you there?"

There was no response. She knew he was in there, but she just said the first words that came to mind.

She tried again. "Arisato? I want to talk."

Still no response. The worry she felt reached a new height. She didn't like to fear for the worst, yet her brain forced her to.

She tried one more time. "Minato. Please." His first name again. She hoped saying it would cause something. Anything.

She heard a noise. Footsteps?

The door slowly opened. And he was there.

He looked horrible. The bags under his eyes looked like had hadn't slept at all. But there was still no emotion present on his face.

"Can I come in?" Her voice was soft.

He stood perfectly still, looking straight down. He clearly didn't want to look at her. He probably felt ashamed.

His hands slightly twitched, but then he moved back slightly before bringing the door open more.

Mitsuru stepped inside, closing the door behind her to give them some modicum of privacy.

As if she hadn't already violated his own.

He sat on his bed, his face still looking towards the ground.

She wanted to sit next to him, but she didn't want to cause another attack.

She slowly approached him whilst scanning the contents of his room. The small stack of instant ramen on his desk showed her he had been eating, albeit not well. She also took the open textbook as a good sign. Despite somewhat isolating himself, he's still preparing for the exams.

She stood beside him, keeping a short distance so he won't get uncomfortable.

"I've been worried about you, Minato." Mitsuru remained using his first name. To her, it's the only way she can keep him calm.

She wanted to talk about what happened in the hotel. But she knew if she even started the sentence, it could be a repeat of what happened.

However, to her absolute shock, Minato spoke before she could say anything else.

"Why are you worried about me?"

This stunned Mitsuru. Did he care about himself that little that he questions whenever people are concerned for him?

"You've been more concerned about me than anyone since my..." His raspy voice trailed off.

Does she tell him the truth? That she felt guilty for her family's actions and them playing a part in his family's deaths? That her guilt made her want to atone for their mistakes?

"It's... because I feel guilty."

No turning back now.

Minato turned his head in her direction, but it was still faced to the floor.

She slowly got closer to him, eventually sitting on his bed. He made no reaction to it, but she wanted to make sure he knew she was there in case something were to happen.

She sighed deeply. "I want to tell you, but I'm going to make it clear that if you look even slightly distressed, I'm stopping." She spoke in the softest tone she possibly could, since what she was about to tell him could irreversibly impact him.

Minato nodded slowly, seemingly bracing himself for what's coming.

"Ten years ago, my grandfather, Kouetsu Kirijo, was intrigued with Shadows. He wanted to use their power for some purpose." Minato lifted his face at her, which made her think he already knows what's coming. "But, on November 8th, there was an explosion because of his experiments, and several Shadows escaped."

She felt tears coming. She fought them back, for she needed to be strong for him.

"One of them made it to the Moonlight Bridge."

She saw his silver eyes widen. She was about to stop, but Minato told her to keep going.

"It was stopped. But..." She could see his fists tighten. She took this as a sign.

He hates her.

"My grandfather, along with all of the scientists involved, died due to the explosion and subsequent release of the Shadows."

His fist relaxed.

"It's why I've been so concerned about you. My grandfather, my family name, is the reason for all of your suffering. That's..."

"That's why you feel guilty." Mitsuru stopped and turned towards him. "You feel responsible for what's happened to me."

She couldn't find the words to say.

"I told you that we went to visit my grandparents, right?"

Mitsuru nodded. It was back in May, when they were in the student council room.

"I was the one who wanted to go there. They asked us what we wanted to do for our 7th birthday, and I said I wanted to see them."

Does he feel guilty? He was 7!

"I was the reason we were driving on the bridge. If it weren't for me, they'd all still be alive."

"You should not feel guilty about that. You had no way of knowing something like that could happen. You were only 7." Mitsuru tried to comfort him, but remembered he probably doesn't even want to be touched.

"If that's the case, then why should you feel guilty?"

Mitsuru was left speechless.

"It was your grandfather who did the experiments. Not you." His logic was sound. But despite this, her guilt didn't waver.

"Because it's my family name, and we are having to fix the problems he left behind."

"That still doesn't explain why you should feel guilty for me."

She couldn't think of the words to respond.

"I have already accepted I was the reason for their deaths. It was something a lot of family members said towards me, and they were right."

What?! He was only a child!

"And if anyone else should feel guilty for what they did, it would be your grandfather, not you. You shouldn't burden yourself with that."

How did a talk meant for him lead to him helping her?

"Regardless of what I think now, I'm still worried about you." She brought the conversation back to her original point, hoping it could be more approachable now that he's opened up more, even though she hated what he said. "Your mental wellbeing is extremely important, and I want to help you."

His eyes drooped down. He probably didn't want her to help, but he didn't want to refuse it.

"I'm booking an appointment for a psychiatrist for you. It's only for your benefit, so I implore you to go."

He took a large, deep breath. "Okay."

"Thank you, Minato." He looked up again at the sound of his name. It must've helped him. "I also want to remind you that everyone in this dorm is here for you. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."

He smiled, only slightly. But Mitsuru couldn't tell if it was forced, considering he was possibly dissociating.

She got up and turned to leave.

"Mitsuru-senpai?"

She immediately looked back towards him.

"Thank you."

There was nothing on his face, but she knew he was appreciative.

She smiled at him before leaving the room to let him relax.

He was opening up to her again.

She thought after what happened in the hotel that he would completely close off.

He didn't.

She hated everything he said about his past and what his relatives said.

But he was going to get better.

Or at the very least.

He was going to try.

She went back downstairs to the lounge and saw everyone still sat at the table.

"How'd it go?"

Everyone's face was filled with worry. But it was somewhat removed by how Mitsuru looked when she came down.

"It went well. We talked and he was willing to see a psychiatrist."

Their expressions lightened up immediately after being told.

Things were going to be better.

For once, she didn't feel guilty for her family's actions.

7/18/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

The past week was tiring for Minato. After his talk with Mitsuru, he was mentally drained, but only briefly. Then the finals approached, and despite all that has happened to him lately, the exams were no trouble. The same cannot be said for Junpei though.

It was his final exam today, and also his first session with the psychiatrist Mitsuru booked for him. She used her connections from within the Kirijo Group to get him a highly qualified professional, and whilst he knew it was for his benefit, and that everyone in the dorm cared about him, he still struggled to make it through. They mentioned how Mitsuru came to them recently regarding his behaviour and because of this, they had diagnosed and prescribed him on the first visit.

Depression.

PTSD.

Those words stuck out like a sore thumb to Minato.

He came back to the dorm, feeling exhausted after the session, but couldn't be bothered to go to his room, so he just slumped onto the couch and zoned out to the sounds of his mp3 player.

He could hear footsteps around him, so he turned the volume down enough so he could hear what people were saying, but he could still hear the music. In his peripherals was Junpei reading a manga, Fuuka on the shared computer, and Yukari on her phone.

"Yo, dude. You alright?" He brought his face down to look at Junpei, who was sat on the couch opposite him.

No.

"Yeah, just tired." Whilst he wasn't lying exactly, Minato didn't want to go in depth about what he's facing at this moment.

Before Junpei could say anything else, the third years came through the door with Ikutsuki behind them. Mitsuru saw Minato sat on the couch, and gave him a small smile.

"Ahh, everyone is present." Ikutsuki sat on the solo chair, and everyone gathered around him, expecting some info. "I trust exams went well for you all?"

There were nods from everyone, although Junpei's was a little suspicious.

"Well, you all have summer break next week, and you all deserve a holiday."

"Does anyone have plans during the break?" Fuuka's quiet voice was slightly fading, perhaps she was feeling more welcomed here.

"Not me. I was probably just gonna go down to the beach, talk to some babes." Junpei's words caused him to receive some less than pleasant stares from Yukari.

"The beach, you say. Kirijo-kun, you have a vacation home in Yakushima, do you not?" Ikutsuki, along with everyone else, turned to face Mitsuru.

Mitsuru was caught by surprise. "Um, I do yes. My father is most likely going to be there though, and I would rather not disrupt his work."

"Oh please. What father wouldn't want to see his daughter?"

"Well, I..." Mitsuru couldn't continue with her sentence. "I suppose it would be nice to get a break."

"Then it's settled!" Ikutsuki was overly joyful. "We have a small break next week, so we can go there then!"

Junpei shot up from his seat. "Yakushima?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Yukari sighed. "You really can't keep yourself under control, can you?"

"Well, is everyone okay with that?" Mitsuru had a small smile on her face, and it was matched by everyone's agreement. She turned in Minato's direction, and he gave a simple nod in agreement. He didn't really want to go, but it's unlikely everyone would've accepted that.

After discussing the plan for their vacation, everyone retired to their rooms to prepare for their sudden departure.

7/20/2009 - Yakushima Beach - Midday

Minato, Akihiko, and Junpei were all waiting at the beach for the others to arrive. Junpei and Akihiko were more prepared for the beach, wearing just swimming attire, but Minato had chosen to wear a dark long sleeve shirt to go along with his swimming shorts.

"Dude, are you sure you wanna wear that? You are gonna burn with that thing on!" Junpei and Akihiko were confused with Minato's choice, but it was obvious why to him.

"I'll be fine. If I do get hot, I'll just go for a swim." They accepted that explanation, and not long after, the girls showed up.

Yukari and Fuuka came along first, which led to Junpei intently admiring them, much to their dismay. Minato wasn't particularly focused on them. Not until Mitsuru showed up.

Minato couldn't stop looking at her. The white two part bikini she wore had an elegant feel to it, probably due to the corsage on the top and the cover up she wore on the bottom half.

No.

I can't.

Mitsuru saw Minato quickly turn away and face towards the ocean.

"Okay! I'm gonna go jump in!" Junpei sprinted towards the water, and everyone but Mitsuru and Minato followed.

Minato took a seat on one of the beach loungers covered by a parasol, and was about to try and sleep with his mp3 player blasting music in his ears, before he heard Mitsuru take a seat on the lounger next to him.

She didn't speak to him, and instead just looked at the waves, where the rest of S.E.E.S was playing about in.

She always began the conversation between the two of them, so it was somewhat strange to him that out of all the chairs on the beach, she chose the one next to him.

But, for once, he thought he should initiate it.

"Have you seen your father at all?" His monotone voice somehow caught her attention instantly.

"I have yes. He was glad to see me..." She trailed off, which left Minato somewhat puzzled.

"What's the problem?"

"He wants to gather all of S.E.E.S tonight. To tell them the truth behind all of this. Most of it you will already know, but he wants the whole team to be aware of the past."

"You still feel guilty for it, don't you?"

"How could I not? I withheld it from them, because I felt guilty of my grandfather's actions, and that they would judge me for it." Mitsuru began to look distressed.

"You shouldn't."

Mitsuru had nothing to say that; nothing to respond to him.

"It's like I said. It wasn't your fault. So you shouldn't feel guilty." His voice remained monotone, which wasn't his intention.

Mitsuru sighed. "My apologies. It's... just difficult when your family's past is the reason behind so much suffering."

There wasn't much said after that for some time. They remained on the loungers, looking at the rest of the team. He could see Mitsuru take glances at him every now and then, but thought nothing of it.

"How are you feeling, right now?"

That question blew the wind out of him for a moment. He didn't expect to be talking about him, but it's understandable why.

He took a deep breath. "I'm... okay. I went to that psychiatrist you mentioned, and they diagnosed me with a few things and gave me some prescriptions." He reached into his pocket and revealed a few containers, then placed them back before anyone else noticed them. "I'll be doing regular sessions after this week, most likely multiple times a week. Sounds exhausting, since after the first one I was beat."

"But, I know I have to do it. A lot of people rely on us; on me, and if I'm out of commission for whatever reason, it means people are at risk."

He saw Mitsuru looking down at his shirt. She knew the reason why he was wearing it, and knowing her, she probably regrets how it was handled. She didn't mention anything when she spoke to him before the finals, probably wanting to avoid him getting another attack.

"I'm sorry."

She looked towards his face, confused. "For what?"

"For what happened at the hotel. I shouldn't have been like that, and I put the team at risk doing so."

"Now you're feeling guilty for something that wasn't your fault." She looked down at her feet. He knew this was a conversation that wouldn't be easy. But she already knew, which lessened the discomfort of the topic.

"You're the only one who knows, you know." His continued monotone voice did not reflect the seriousness of the conversation.

Her red eyes widened. She sat up from the lounger, turning her body towards him.

"Ar- Minato."

"You don't have to call me Minato everytime we have a conversation like this, unless you prefer to."

She couldn't find the words to respond to that. He knew she'd been calling him Minato to comfort him, and it did work, but he didn't want her to if she didn't prefer it. She did call him that on the odd occasion when he was in danger too, so perhaps there was something else behind it.

She made a sigh that was too subtle for Minato to notice.

"Minato, are you sure you want to talk about that?"

She stuck with it? He wanted to question her on why, was it because of the conversation, and that she still wants to comfort him? Or was it out of genuine care?

He brushed the thought aside. "I might as well. You already know so much about me, you might aswell know the rest."

But before he could even get started, everyone ran back towards them, saying how they were going to relax on the loungers with them. This immediately made Minato stop his current conversation, as he didn't want the others to know.

Maybe another time.

But something felt off to Minato.

He felt like he was being watched.

7/20/2009 - Kirijo Vacation Home - Late Evening

Everything was revealed to the team. Even things Minato didn't already know. He didn't know Yukari's father was the lead scientist behind the experiment, and how he caused the explosion. The same explosion that made the Shadows escape. The same Shadows that killed his parents. His sister.

Yukari ran out of the room, cursing at Mitsuru for taking pity on her.

Mitsuru slumped onto the couch, with her hands in her face. She looked back up at Minato, who stayed stood up for the meeting.

"Arisato?" Her voice was soft, clearly full of regret.

Minato knew what she wanted of him, so he left the room, going after Yukari.

He found her at the end of the pier, looking at the ocean.

She heard him come up to her. "Did Kirijo-senpai tell you to come after me?"

Minato wasn't sure if he should lie or not. She might take it worse if he told her the truth, thinking she was only taking more pity on her.

But that is what he chose. "Yeah, she did."

She turned back towards the water. "I never told you my dad died when I was young."

Minato stayed silent.

"I always felt alone with my pain. Until I heard what happened to you." She turned back towards him. "Your family died on the same day he did. But what's worse is he caused it! He's the reason why so many people have died! Why your family died!"

Minato wasn't particularly pleased with the fact she was bringing it up infront of him, yet she was dealing with the revelation that her father seemingly caused the Dark Hour.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying that. It's just... I believed in him for so long. And now that I've learnt he's the reason we are here in the first place, I'm just stuck here thinking, like I don't know what to do now?"

Minato struggled to find the right words to say, but eventually he thought he did.

"It's okay not to know."

She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "You make it sound like you're caring about me."

Her face immediately went to anger. "Are you taking pity on me?!"

Minato was stunned by her words, but his face didn't show.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to think anymore..." She brings her arm to her face, as if she's about to cry.

"Your father may have caused the explosion, but he may have made the better choice."

Yukari looks up at Minato, still blank as ever.

"You heard what would've happened had he not done it. The damage would've been much worse than what it had been already."

Her teary eyes lit up.

"He regretted working for Kouetsu Kirijo, and the only way to make things right at that point was to do it. And it is why we need to finish what he started. Whilst I may still not like the choice he made, he had to make it regardless."

She rubbed her eyes with her hands. "You're right. Thank you, Arisato-kun. Should we-"

The Dark Hour struck.

"sh*t! Takeba-san!"

Minato and Yukari immediately started running, but they were surrounded by numerous Shadows.

They were trapped.

Wait.

That feeling again. Someone was watching him.

Minato heard footsteps coming closer towards him, and then a figure leapt into the air. There was gunfire coming from all directions, but it was all focused on the Shadows.

The figure landed on the remnants of a Shadow, before firing more rounds at the remaining Shadows, saving the second years.

"At last."

Minato and Yukari turned to the human figure, yet upon closer inspection, they could see it wasn't human.

"I have found you."

It wrapped its arms around Minato.

Oh no.

She needed to get off.

He needed her to get off.

Get off.

Minato quickly got back from whatever was holding him, losing control of his breath.

Oh god.

Not again.

Minato fell to one knee, and in the distance, he heard more voices.

"Arisato!"

It was Mitsuru and Akihiko. They must've been worried about them since the Dark Hour struck.

Minato scrambled inside his pocket for the medication he needed for the panic attacks, at which point Mitsuru knelt down to him and, miraculously, had water with her.

"Take this. I was worried about you two and I took it just in case you needed it."

He hastily grabbed the bottle from her hand, and took the medication, washing it down with the water.

He took some deep breaths in the same pace he did when in the hotel, this time without Mitsuru having to guide him.

Akihiko turned to Yukari. "Takeba-san, what happened?"

There was another voice coming. It was Ikutsuki's.

"Ah... Aigis. You shouldn't... be escaping your containment like that." He was out of breath. His breathing did not help Minato control his own.

"My apologies." Aigis. Whatever it was, it went to Ikutsuki, and they both left.

Yukari filled the third years on what happened. By the time she was done, the medication kicked in, and Minato had calmed down.

They all went back to the vacation home, Mitsuru and Minato walking some distance behind Yukari and Akihiko.

It happened again.

This time, even more people saw him.

People who counted on him.

I'm pathetic.

7/21/2009 - Kirijo Vacation Home - Midday

"Say hello to Aigis." Ikutsuki introduced the... android to the team.

The same one that saved Minato and Yukari.

The same one that gave Minato a panic attack.

"She's one of the last of the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons, and she will be joining your efforts in fighting the Shadows."

Minato wasn't a fan of this. Despite the events that transpired yesterday, he finds her (or it?) familiar. And not in a pleasant way.

"My purpose is to eliminate Shadows."

She walked over to Minato, causing him to tense up.

"My objective is to protect you at all costs." She moved to hold him again, but this time, Mitsuru slightly got in the way of them. She knew what would've happened had she not done it.

"She will be particularly effective within battle, and your expeditions to Tartarus will be much more efficient."

Minato still didn't like her. There was something familiar about her that he couldn't understand.

"She will be prepared to go with you to the dorm after the trip. But until then, she's remaining in her lab for final diagnostics."

Oh thank god.

Minato relaxed his muscles, and saw that Mitsuru noticed him do this.

After Aigis left with Ikutsuki, everyone left to do their own things. Minato decided to head to the beach to relax again, and hopefully not be provoked.

After making it to the beach in the same attire he wore the day before, he sat in the same lounger he previously did, and saw the space where Mitsuru had sat when they spoke.

Should he tell her?

She already knows they exist.

What if she feels disgusted with them like he did?

Before he could forget about these questions through the sounds of his mp3 player, he could see that same white elegant bikini in the corner of his eye, sit in the same seat as yesterday.

There was no one around this time. It was just the two of them.

"How are you feeling, Minato?

Most conversations are going to start like that, aren't they?

"I'm okay. What happened last night was unexpected, but I got through it, thanks to you again."

She looked disappointed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner."

"Don't be." His monotone voice returned.

"I assume you have your reservations about Aigis?"

He sighed. "Yeah. But it's not just about yesterday. I feel like I've seen her before. It's unsettling. Which doesn't help since she's a robot."

Mitsuru looked down from Minato.

"I assume you have your own?"

Mitsuru also sighed. "Yes, I do. You can probably guess why I do as well."

"I don't get what she meant by her objective. 'Protect me at all costs'?" Minato was clearly distressed.

"If you do not approve of her joining I can speak to my father and have her removed."

He bit the side of his cheek. "I can't. We need the help. Even if it comes from something like her, or it, I don't know."

They stopped the conversation there, momentarily. No one else had come to the beach yet, it was still only the two of them.

"Yesterday," Minato's voice went a bit quieter, despite still being monotone. "I was going to tell you about... everything."

She turned to face him, his own face looking at her. "Do you want to tell me?"

His silver eyes met her red ones. Despite everything in his head, his body, saying he shouldn't be doing this, that he shouldn't get attached, he couldn't stop himself.

"Yes."

She moved off from her lounger, and sat next to him on the one he was seated on, and he gave no reaction. If it were someone else, he may have.

And when she was prepared, he told her everything. The orphanages and foster homes where he was abused and starved, the family relatives who refused to take care of and neglected him, the scars he made, some of them being made with the wish he wouldn't wake up from them. It was brutal for him to say, at some points he almost stopped entirely, and even though Mitsuru encouraged him to stop, he didn't want to. He wanted to open up to her, despite everything inside him telling him he shouldn't.

But he did something subconsciously part way through explaining that he didn't notice until he had finished talking.

He grabbed Mitsuru's hand.

He was unsure when exactly, but nothing came of it.

There was no reaction. No heavy breathing, no dizziness. No attack.

When he had finally noticed where his left hand was, he lifted it off out of her grasp, but not too fast or sudden. It wasn't a retreat made from anxiety, but from embarrassment.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't notice when I did that." He slightly stuttered in his words, feeling even more flustered.

His head was screaming at him.

Stop this.

Enough.

No more affection.

But he didn't want to listen.

Not now.

"Don't apologise, Minato. What you just said must've been extremely difficult for you to say, and I'm glad you told me. It's always better for someone to know of your pain, so they can do their best to help you, even if telling them is the hardest part."

Her hand moved on top of his this time. He made a small breath in, preparing for something to come.

But there was nothing.

He didn't feel an attack coming.

He felt safer with her.

Despite not showing it on his face, this was the best Minato had felt in a long time.

Notes:

OK! I'm glad the fic has been received pretty positively so far! Unfortunately, I'm going to have to slow down with the updates. Work and college life, especially when you have finals in a month, isn't easy to balance already, especially now that I have started working on this. What I can say is I'll try my absolute hardest to get what I can out, but it'll be a bit less frequent. Currently, I want to release at least 1 a week, but that might have to change when we get closer to the middle of May. As always, thanks for the support on it, the comments and the kudos help motivate me to write this and I hope you guys enjoy what comes next!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

7/24/2009 - Minato's Room - Early Morning

The rest of the Yakushima trip was better than Minato expected. The time he spent with the team made him forget about his troubles, albeit only temporarily. He appreciated his time with Mitsuru, since she helped him open up more, despite everything in his mind and body wanting to resist it. Aigis was welcomed by most of the team: Junpei and Fuuka were unaware of the situation, so they immediately went to greeting her. Akihiko and Yukari were slightly less joyful, since they knew of what transpired, but they still were happy with her joining. Mitsuru still had her reservations, since she is putting Minato on edge a lot.

Minato still couldn't figure out where he recognises her from. It could just be him being needlessly suspicious, but he was sure he saw her before.

There were only 2 more days left of the semester, and Minato was already preparing for the large Shadow in a couple weeks.

"Arisato-san, wake up."

Huh? A voice?

Minato sat up from his bed, and he saw a figure in his blurry vision.

He rubbed his eyes with his forearm, and tried to focus his vision on whatever was infront of him.

It was her.

Her presence immediately sent him into panic.

Why the hell is she in here?

Did she see them?

He preemptively reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the small orange container.

"Your heart rate is elevated, Arisato-san."

You don't think I know that?

He took some of the medication and drank from the bottle he had on his desk, then before any more of the anxiety could set in, he went straight to deep breaths.

Someone knocked on his door, which wasn't ideally what Minato wanted.

"Hey, it's Takeba. Aigis isn't in the control room so we wanted to check to see if you have seen her."

Before Minato could respond, Aigis went to open the door, and greeted her with a 'good morning'.

"Aigis?! You shouldn't be in here!" Yukari looked past and saw Minato looking straight up with his back against the wall.

"Arisato-kun! Are you okay?" She immediately was filled with worry. She knew what he was going through, since it was a repeat of the 20th.

Minato raised his arm to tell her he was fine, but it did not do much.

"My objective is that Arisato-san must be protected at all costs. Being here is the best way he can be protected." Her robotic voice was extremely unsettling, and the contents of the sentence was not helping Minato in the slightest.

"You still cannot be in here! I'll talk to Kirijo-senpai to see if you can get a room on the third floor, but no breaking into people's rooms!" Her yelling did not emphasise her point to Aigis, but she left the room, satisfied with the outcome.

By the time she left, Minato was in control of himself again, and he saw Yukari slowly approach him.

"I'm fine now. Don't worry."

Yukari didn't look convinced. "Do you want me to talk to Kirijo-senpai? Maybe you can get the day off?"

"No. It's fine. Just don't tell her about this. About me." His tone was cold, but he didn't intend for it, and Yukari knew this was the case.

"Okay. I'll leave you be so you can get ready." She turned around and left his room, which didn't really feel like his own space anymore.

Minato's opinion of Aigis was already not off to a good start when they first met, but now it was made a lot worse.

He looked at the other prescriptions he was given by the psychiatrist and sighed.

His session was today, and then there will be even more in the coming weeks.

Just have to get through it.

7/29/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Dark Hour

Mitsuru was with Fuuka in the control room, and was waiting on the rest of the team to show up. Fuuka said she sensed a strange Shadow roaming about, so Akihiko went to go have a look whilst everyone else remained on standby. Minato was however told to sit out, since he was in the middle of his kendo club training for the tournament coming up, and she didn't want him to exert himself or get injured somehow. Due to him staying behind, Aigis was remaining at the dorm too, despite Mitsuru's attempts at changing her mind.

As soon as Junpei and Yukari arrived, Fuuka's eyes shot open and Lucia disappeared.

"I found it! It's at the shrine!"

Without any further discussion, they all made their way towards the shrine.

They eventually made it there, and they saw Akihiko knelt onto the ground, and a small pool of blood around him.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted, her voice filled with distress.

"It's not mine. It's this little guy's." Akihiko moved to the side, revealing a white Shiba Inu with bright red eyes.

"Koromaru!" Fuuka and Yukari ran straight towards the animal, its whines heard by all of them.

"Yuka-tan, you know this dog?"

She immediately turned to face Junpei. "He belonged to the priest at the shrine. But he got hit by a car a few months ago, so Koromaru has just been sat here, alone."

Fuuka had tears in her eyes. "Kirijo-senpai, do you have anyone we can take him to?"

She saw the worry in both of their eyes. "I'm not sure we have a veterinarian employed, but we can take him in the Kirijo Group's care until he recovers. We will take him back to the dorm and I'll arrange for someone to pick him up."

The concern on their faces quickly faded as Akihiko raised the dog in his arms, and began sprinting back to the dorm with the rest of the team.

They came back to see Minato and Aigis waiting in the lobby for them. Immediately upon seeing the injured dog, Minato ran for the first aid kit and was able to patch it up.

There were multiple things going on inside Mitsuru's mind at that point. The dog defeated a Shadow, which means it must have a Persona, somehow. But what was also present in her thoughts was seeing Minato help the poor animal. His nature of always wanting to help people, even at his own expense, was something Mitsuru admired about him, up until it puts his health in jeopardy.

She grew closer to him after the vacation in Yakushima. His aloof nature was quickly removed when in the presence of her, and he became quite the talkative individual, but still only when he was alone with her, or they were separated enough for no one else to notice them.

Mitsuru discarded her previous feelings when Minato was going through the period where his mental wellbeing was seriously declining. She didn't want any ulterior motive within her when helping him, since she believed it would cloud her judgement and she only wanted what was best for him. Those feelings swiftly returned when she felt Minato's hands on her own, but she was still in limbo when deciding what to do with these emotions. She was unsure if Minato even reciprocated these feelings, and even then, she doesn't want to do anything that could potentially harm him.

"He'll be okay for now. When Mitsuru-senpai's people pick him up, they'll be able to do a better job." His voice snapped Mitsuru back to reality.

Maybe some day...

8/3/2009 - Iwatodai Dormitory - Morning.

Mitsuru was sat in the lounge reading a novel, when she thought of Minato. The day before was his kendo tournament, and despite only being within the club for a few months, he gained second place, being beaten only by a student from another school that had been practicing for years. After coming back to the dorm, Minato was exhausted, and only came down to eat dinner before heading back up to sleep again. Mitsuru wanted to congratulate Minato for his placement, but was unsure on what to do.

She heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, and immediately knew it was Junpei, quietly chuckling to himself.

"Iori?"

He suddenly froze in place when he heard Mitsuru call for him.

"Hehe, 'sup Kirijo-senpai?". He had a bit of shakiness in his voice, but Mitsuru had disregarded it, assuming he did something to Yukari.

"I'm planning on congratulating Arisato for his performance yesterday, and I thought to ask you for some guidance."

Junpei was instantly intrigued, with a smug grin on his face. "Oooo, Miss Student Council President wants tips on planning a date."

Mitsuru was flustered and her cheeks went red, but it was hidden by the shades of her hair. "W-what?! No! I simply want to show support for his efforts in his activities!"

"Don't worry, Kirijo-senpai, your secret is safe with me." He acted as if he was zipping his lips shut, which only angered Mitsuru more. "But, knowing him, you could probably do anything and he'll agree to it. I'd say just take him to Hagakure, simple but he'll appreciate it."

Hagakure? She had heard Akihiko go there a few times, but she has never gone herself. But, she was in agreement with Junpei that Minato was unlikely to decline.

"Thank you, Iori." She nodded her head in appreciation, whilst Junpei went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast.

Would he think of it like a date?

Do I think of it like a date?

Hagakure Bowl - Midday

Junpei was right. Minato did accept the invitation, but was a little confused why it was just the two of them. Yukari and Fuuka were already out together by the time Mitsuru had asked, and Akihiko had planned on going training. She figured it would be better with just the two of them than stringing Junpei along, who would most likely try and make up scenarios in his head. He also agreed to cover for Aigis, since she remained adamant about not leaving Minato's side, much to his discomfort.

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai. But you didn't have to do this."

She turned to him with a smile on her face. "It's my pleasure, Minato." She began referring to him as Minato, but only when the rest of S.E.E.S are not with them, or when they see each other in Gekkoukan. It still felt strange to her, but she wanted them to be closer. She was probably the closest he's ever been with someone, and she didn't want to remain calling him Arisato if they were going to continue to be that close.

She glanced at the ramen they ordered. Minato had ordered a special, mentioning how it was his go to. He recommended it to her as well, but a smaller portion.

Mitsuru was uneducated in the etiquette of eating ramen, which made Minato chuckle. He gave her a couple pointers, like how to not let the food settle for too long or else the noodles will go soggy from the broth, ruining the texture.

After slurping the noodles far too loudly, to the point that Minato couldn't stop laughing (which did make Mitsuru quite happy), she was mesmerised with the flavour. She gave her compliments to the chef, but she used certain French mannerisms, which only left the chef confused, and Minato still laughing.

She's never seen him laugh like this.

She's never seen him laugh at all really, at most he's given a small chuckle.

After finishing their meals, Minato pulled out his wallet to pay.

"You aren't paying for this meal, Minato." Before he could pull out any cash, she had already placed a 5000 yen note on the table. "I'm the one who invited you out."

He tried to argue back and insist on paying, but Mitsuru was nothing if not stubborn.

"Okay, I'll give in. But next time we go out, I'm paying for it." He had a smile on his face whilst looking at her.

Next time?!

Does this mean?!

No, you're reading too much into this.

"I have to say, I'm very impressed with how you have been adapting to our... activities, when you are also having to balance school work and extracurricular clubs as well. You prove yourself well when leading, and then you are capable of providing top scores whilst also putting in effort and landing a podium finish in a cross-school tournament."

Mitsuru's ramblings (at least that's what she believed them to be) had caught Minato's attention greatly. From the look on his face, it seems like he hasn't received this much praise before in a long time. There were other words she wanted to say to him, but she thought it'd be best to not mention. She still wasn't certain if the feeling was reciprocated.

"What I'm trying to say, is I'm proud of you, Minato, and you have my respect."

Judging by the response she was given, she immediately regretted saying anything.

Minato looked...

...as if he was about to cry.

She immediately rushed him out, finding a more secluded spot for him. Those words must've triggered something in him, and Mitsuru regretted it immensely.

After finding a bench in a more quite part of town, she sat Minato down as he tried to process.

This wasn't like a panic attack.

He wasn't short of breath, nor did he look dizzy.

He simply broke at the sound of those words.

However, there were no tears coming. He was in a state of sadness where he was going to cry, but simply didn't. Or couldn't.

"I'm so sorry, Minato. I shouldn't have said anything." Mitsuru's voice was full of remorse.

"No." His words were shaking. "No, it's okay. It's just... I haven't heard those words for a long time. If ever."

He looked like he was on the verge of tears, but they never came.

Mitsuru then felt a grip on her hand.

It was Minato's.

He wasn't looking at her, but she was sure he knew that he was holding it.

Was it for comfort? Or was it more?

"Would you like to head back, Minato?" She spoke in a soft tone.

"Yeah." He slowly took his hand out of hers and put it in his pocket. "Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai."

Was she more trouble than its worth for him?

She's only been causing problems!

I guess I will have to hold onto hope that I'm not breaking him.

8/6/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Dark Hour

The full moon returned, and another large Shadow was sensed.

"I can feel it!" Fuuka was incredibly focused within Lucia. "It's... underground? It looks like it's coming from the pier."

Aigis chimed in after Fuuka. "According to the Tatsumi Port Island records, there was a military bunker in that location, but it has since been abandoned."

"A military bunker?"

Minato turned to look at Mitsuru, who was undoubtedly confused at its existence.

"Well, thanks to Aigis, we know where we are going then." Junpei's optimistic nature remained steadfast.

Tatsumi Port Military Bunker - Dark Hour

The group of teenagers (and their robot) had taken their first few steps inside the bunker, and were already feeling the eerie atmosphere. There were skeletons riddled around the place. Some had no injuries, so they must've died from something like starvation. Some of them had small scratches, suggesting a blade or something of that nature cut them, meaning there may have been fights among the soldiers.

What was most concerning was the lone soldier in the corner. It had most of its cranium missing, and a rifle had been shoved up into its jaw. Minato remained unphased by this graphic scene, yet most of his team (barring the android), were distressed.

Before they could even continue on, they heard more footsteps.

Behind them.

"Well... we were wondering when we would get the opportunity to meet you." A strange, almost creepy voice echoed through the halls.

Minato quickly spun around with his weapons drawn, and sized up his two opponents.

One of them was shorter in stature, maybe about Minato's height, and he had the same colour hair, but it was significantly shorter. He wore a vibrant green jacket, and appeared to be holding a briefcase of sorts.

Minato wasn't fully worried about him. He was concerned about the man next to him.

He had a taller, slender build, to the point of starvation, and his long hair was white and greasy. He wore no shirt, but did wear jeans and a belt, and the belt seemed to be holstering a gun. Not like the evokers S.E.E.S had.

An actual gun.

Everyone drew their weapons in preparation, yet they did not.

"Let us make our introductions. My name is Takaya, and this is Jin. We are known to some as Strega."

Strega. Minato had never heard of this group before. But the fact they were roaming around this boldly during the Dark Hour...

Were they Persona users?

"Unfortunately, we will not be staying long. What we will do is convince you to stop this frivolous act of yours, and cease trying to end the Dark Hour!" Takaya's ramblings were reminiscent of a pastor. Was that how he saw himself?

"Why the hell would we do that?" Akihiko's voice was deep, in an attempt to be intimidating.

"Why? Do you not understand the gift the Dark Hour has bestowed upon you? Why would you cast it away so casually?" His incessant speeches were ridiculous to Minato.

"We shall give you time to go over what we offered. Since you will not be escaping this place so easily!"

Suddenly, the bulkhead doors between them slammed shut, separating S.E.E.S from Strega, and locking them in the bunker.

"Who the hell were those guys?" Yukari wasn't excited about the idea of people being opposed to their idea of ending the Dark Hour.

Mitsuru remained calm and collected, despite the revelation. "I'm not sure. But regardless, we still have a job to do."

Minato agreed. Even if there were people trying to stop them, they had to push forward.

This was the only place where he found purpose, and he wasn't going to cast it away.

He brought Mitsuru, Yukari, and Aigis (only because of her constantly reiterating the fact she must protect him) and they went to go make quick work of the large Shadows below.

Everything went according to plan, and the large Shadow (or Shadows, since they had the ability to combine into a tank) had been slain. The rest of the team tried to find a release for the doors, yet they had no luck. Mitsuru said she would get someone from the Kirijo Group to open them, but that they should get comfortable since it won't be until after the Dark Hour.

Strega.

They had to be Persona users.

There's no way regular people would stroll around the Dark Hour like that.

They wanted the Dark Hour to continue.

They were obsessed with the idea that they were throwing away their power.

That couldn't be the only reason why.

It couldn't.

8/8/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Minato was told by Elizabeth that a new block of Tartarus has opened up, but that people had begun wandering in, just like Fuuka. If they were to remain in Tartarus for too long, then they would become part of the Lost, or worse.

Minato had told the team he wanted to go today, and was given no objections from anyone.

Tartarus - Dark Hour

Minato remained with the 4 person squad idea, leaving 2 people behind to protect Fuuka and remain in reserves in case someone was too exhausted to continue. Those two today were Junpei and Aigis, which meant Yukari, Mitsuru and Akihiko were joining him in both ascending the new floors of Tartarus, and finding the people who wandered in. Aigis and Junpei had protested, with Aigis saying that she needed to be by his side to protect him, and Junpei did not want to miss out on any action. Minato was tired of Aigis' constant reminding, and even if he did bring her, it would mean there would be a significant weakness to electric attacks, since he intended to bring Yukari for healing purposes.

Fuuka prepared the teleporter at the entrance, and sent them to the border floor between the Arqa section and the Yabbashah section.

Minato and Mitsuru remained close by each other, their attacks on Shadows coordinated and effective. Yukari had clearly taken notice of their heightened cooperation between the two, giving them strange looks as they finished battles.

After a few floors, they had come across their first person who had fallen victim into wandering into Tartarus. They were sat in the fetal position, and didn't seem like moving. Minato had relayed to Fuuka that Junpei were to come collect them and take them back to the entrance, and he had done what he was told, but not without giving Minato a glare in the process. He wasn't happy about being left out in the expedition, but Minato didn't care. All that mattered was getting further up.

As they progressed through the floors of Tartarus, Minato took notice of the structures around him. They resembled a factory-like appearance. Cogs, pipes, steelwork. Where Tartarus had gotten these looks was unimportant to him, but Fuuka was intrigued by it.

Floor after floor, they came across more potential victims of the Shadows, and had gotten either Aigis or Junpei to collect them, yet Minato had been on the receiving end of stares from both of them. Aigis' was less of resentment and more of need, but it still distressed Minato the same.

"Arisato? Is everything alright?" Mitsuru approached him whilst Yukari and Akihiko were talking, probably about them.

"Yeah, just thinking about the stares I've been getting from Junpei and Aigis." His face went to a frown. He had been more expressive, only slightly, ever since he started going to the psychiatrist and taking the prescriptions he has been provided. "I've noticed Junpei hates being sidelined, and Aigis' need to protect me for some reason is not going away any time soon. I'm not sure why either of them feel like this, but I just want to continue with the mission without this feeling of being watched behind my back."

"I'll talk to them. See if I can convince them of anything." Mitsuru smiled at him, causing his frown to fade and shift into a smile of his own.

She can sure as hell try to convince Aigis, but I doubt she will listen.

The squad came to the next set of stairs, only for a strong wave to come between all of them.

"Arisato-kun! Everyone has been split up!" Fuuka's voice resonated within his head. "Kirijo-senpai seems to be close to you, and Sanada-senpai and Yukari-chan have already found each other."

"Okay, thanks Yamagishi-san." Minato was worried. He felt something coming.

"You need to hurry. I'm sensing something dangerous."

That did not ease his concerns one bit.

He ran ahead, checking down every hallway and corridor he saw until he eventually found Mitsuru.

"Minato! I've been looking-"

"No time. We need to find the others. Something's coming, and it's dangerous."

The concern in his face immediately worried Mitsuru, as they ran off searching for the other pair.

Whilst they ran, Minato could hear noises in the distance.

Chains.

Rattling chains.

"Arisato-kun! Sanada-senpai and Yukari-chan are close! Hurry!" Fuuka's information only made them run faster as they tried to distance themselves from the demon that was approaching.

They eventually found Akihiko and Yukari, who were as worried as Minato. They could hear the chains too.

And they were close.

They sprinted through every corridor they could. But the sounds were not getting any further away.

They took a right and...

Dead end.

"sh*t." Minato was full of dread. He may have just lead his team to their deaths. They did not deserve this. "sh*t!"

The chains approached.

They had no choice.

"f*ck." He needed to think. Fast. "Yamagishi-san, I need you to find an escape as soon as you possibly can. The faster the better. Do not send the others. It's too dangerous."

"Okay!"

He could see the barrel of a revolver.

"Yukari, I need you to be ready to heal as soon as you see an injury from someone. Prioritise me least, I can handle it myself."

She didn't like that. "Okay. But you better heal yourself!"

He could see the blood stained cloak.

"Sanada-senpai. I understand your fighting style but under no circ*mstances do you approach it. Let Polydeuces do the work."

He hated being told not to fight like he wanted to. "Ugh! Fine!"

He could see the single eye.

"Mitsuru-senpai. Ailments will not work on this guy. Stay on your feet, let Penthesilea focus on the attack."

She had the most trust in him. "Okay, Arisato!"

It was in full view.

THE REAPER.

"If we mess up here, maybe even once, we die. Remember what I said, do not approach it. Let your Personas do the work."

He couldn't let any of them die.

Not again.

Minato glared at the one eyed demon. Aikuchi in the one hand, Evoker in the other.

He was prepared to sacrifice everything.

As long as it meant no one died.

It roared.

"It's focusing its mind!"

Fuuka was right, as it performed a Concentrate in front of the teenagers.

"EVERYONE, SPLIT UP!"

They all dispersed as quickly as they could, whilst the demon had fired out its strongest attack from the start.

A Megidolaon.

Minato was caught in the blast, but only just. He knew he had to keep going. He had to heal for the sake of his friends.

"Saki Mitama!" The small yellow Aspect appeared beside him and healed his wounds. He needed to be fast.

He could see Mitsuru and Akihiko sending blow after blow, with Yukari sending her own attacks when she can. Ice, wind, and electricity fueled the atmosphere around them, as they desperately fought whilst Fuuka looked for an escape.

Minato took his opportunity whilst the demon had its back turned to him. He charged straight at it and...

"Black Frost!" The devil brother of Jack Frost had ignited the demon with an Agidyne, but it reacted as if nothing happened.

It fired a Kougaon right at Minato's feet, which he swiftly dodges before it landed.

Ironic. The demon can use light attacks.

The feeling returned.

He had stifled it the past couple trips to Tartarus, and at the last full moon operation. He needed to.

For them.

For her.

"Hanuman!" A monkey warrior sent a myriad of blows at the demon, yet again, nothing effective came from it.

The fight was getting dragged on. The longer this takes, the less of a chance they have at escaping without anything serious.

"Fuuka!" He couldn't care about honorifics or respect at this point. He needed to get them out. "Where is that escape!"

"I can't find it! It's blocked off the only way through!" She yelled into their minds, but the pain didn't matter.

They were trapped in there.

Their only way through...

Was to kill it.

The feeling returned, stronger than ever before.

When push comes to shove, he knew what to do.

He and his teammates fought as hard as they could, but their ability to dodge attacks became worse and worse.

Hit after hit landed on the demon, yet it was not phased one bit.

Then he heard a yell.

Akihiko was hit by a Bufudyne, but he dodged the worst of it.

He was out of commission, and Yukari had to tend to his wounds.

It was just Minato and Mitsuru.

Against the demon.

"f*ck!" His mind began to race. If someone dies here...

It's on him.

But Mitsuru was not giving up.

And neither was he.

With just the two of them, it seemed they were doing even more damage than when all four of them were attacking.

Their strikes were timed.

Their steps: coordinated.

The feeling inside Minato was overcome by the feeling of him and Mitsuru.

Together, they were a force that even the demon had underestimated.

"Arisato-kun! It's focusing again!"

He knew what that meant. Another Megidolaon.

"Mitsuru!" They jumped away from each other, preparing for the attack to land.

But it didn't.

The demon's eye remained on Mitsuru.

Minato heard a whisper.

"Agidyne."

His eyes widened. His head filled with horror.

He took a single step.

And saw Mitsuru, launched by a Concentrated Agidyne.

Her body was singed.

Blood was dripping from her face.

Oh god.

No.

Not again.

Not her.

Not her.

NOT HER.

The demon prepared another attack, directed at Mitsuru, aiming to finish her off.

Minato ran as fast as his legs could possibly go, and then some.

He couldn't go through it again.

He couldn't lose another person he loves.

Not again.

NOT AGAIN.

Minato fired his Evoker.

"HANUMAN!"

The monkey warrior sped towards her.

But he wasn't sure.

He needed to be sure.

He saw the demon use a Charge.

I have to.

The demon sent a Brave Blade directly at her.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...

Minato turned around.

And saw she wasn't behind him anymore.

She was with Yukari.

Hanuman did it.

"MINATO-KUN!"

He heard a distant voice. Was it Yukari's?

He looked down.

And saw the entire right side of his chest, down to his stomach...

Was torn open.

f*ck.

He couldn't feel a thing.

Was it the adrenaline?

Maybe.

He didn't even care the top half of his clothes has been torn to shreds, exposing all of the pain. The trauma.

He coughed up blood, perhaps too much to be counted as coughing. It joined the pool of blood already forming beneath him.

This was it.

He was dying here.

But he had one thing he needed to do first.

He could feel blood dripping from his fingertips.

He could feel it falling down his head, into his mouth.

The Evoker, previously in his hand, was shattered to pieces, a multitude of those pieces remaining in his arm and hand.

f*ck.

No Personas.

He felt that feeling again.

It was stronger.

Powered by his rage.

Fueled by his hatred.

He began to laugh.

And laugh.

And laugh.

He could feel the stares he was getting from his teammates. They were probably scared to death of the sight he was.

They should be.

He felt a knife in his head.

No. More like a million knives in his head.

This wasn't Fuuka.

This was...

HIM...

Minato clutched at his head, yelling, screaming from the pain.

He felt like he was on fire.

Because he was.

Purple flames engulfed him. He could feel every nerve on his body screaming for death.

But the flame wouldn't let it.

Mitsuru could feel her joints in agony.

"Kirijo-senpai! You're okay!" Yukari's tear filled eyes looked down at her.

She wanted to ask her what happened.

She wanted to ask if Minato was okay.

She needed to know if he was okay.

But she saw the purple flames.

The same ones back in April.

The same ones that almost killed him.

"THANATOS!"

A large shockwave shook the room.

No, the floor.

No, the tower.

The God of Death emerged from the flames, fueled by Minato's lust for revenge.

It charged at the demon, slicing both of its revolvers in half.

Minato followed up, delivering scores upon scores of blows from his aikuchi, empowered by Death. Despite his injuries, he never felt more...

Alive.

The demon turned to Thanatos, but it was wrapped in Thanatos' chains, where it yanked off its arms.

If it could scream in pain, it would be.

And Minato relished that feeling.

He launched himself from the coffins upon Thanatos' back, landing on the cloak of the demon, and stabbing it in the neck.

He was staring at a spectre of Death in the eyes, and he didn't blink.

He reached his arm into his blood soaked hood, and tried to grab onto anything he could pull.

Once he felt what was necessary, he pulled hard. Harder than anything he had ever done before.

And after one more tug, the singular eye of the demon was ripped out, writhing in Minato's hand.

He crushed it between his fingers, as Thanatos ripped the remnants of its body to shreds.

The demon was dead.

He was satisfied.

Thanatos disappeared, and Minato felt the weight of his actions press on him.

The weight felt like nothing he had ever experienced before.

He was dying.

And he was okay with that.

He saved the people he cared about.

The one he loves.

He did what he couldn't do before.

He ran his fingers up his body, feeling the crevice within his torso and stomach.

The pain was unimaginable.

And he collapsed.

"MINATO!"

That was Mitsuru's voice. He could tell. No use of honorifics, and it had that mix of authority and concern, like it always had.

He could hear more footsteps. It must've been Akihiko's and Yukari's. Despite only knowing them for 4 months, he cared about them, something that couldn't be said for many others he's encountered in his life.

There were more footsteps. Fuuka must've come up with Junpei and Aigis. Fuuka he'd known for an even less amount of time, yet he knew she was sweet and thoughtful. She asked occasionally if he wanted to talk with her about how he was, which was nice of her, even when he didn't want to.

Junpei he had known for the same amount of time as the others barring Aigis and Fuuka, yet he knew Junpei never truly liked him. Minato would've accepted this, had they not been part of a team dedicated to saving lives. But Junpei hated that Minato was better than him. His power, his skills, even the sociability that Minato didn't even want. Junpei was jealous of him. Yet he knew that perhaps if he lived this, they could be better.

Aigis. The less said about her, the better. Something was off with her. And I don't like it. I recognise her, but I don't know why. Her obsession of keeping me safe was borderline rage inducing. But I kept her around for the sake of the team.

Minato felt a hand on his face, and he felt tears land on his cheeks.

Were they his? No, he hadn't cried since back then.

"MINATO!" The voice cried out to him.

Mitsuru's voice.

She was something he didn't even expect. From the moment they met at the dorm, he felt something stir inside. He considered it to be just hormones, and brushed them aside. But then she did more and more. Her speech at the school. Her outfit choice. How caring she was. How she made him laugh so hard not even a week ago. How she got him to open up about everything. How he never felt closer to a human being before in such a way.

He loved her.

He loved her, and he was going to die in her arms.

Maybe, if he had lived this, he would've tried.

Tried to experience something he had never done with another person.

Maybe...

Minato smiled. He was going to die on his terms, and he was satisfied.

He took another look at Mitsuru's face. He couldn't see much, but he could make out enough to see she was in tears. He hated seeing her like this. But it was better this than dead.

He took what he thought to be his last breath, and closed his eyes for what he believed to be the final time.

Notes:

Okay! I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Now the updates are going to slow down a lot. I'm probably going to have chapter 8 out in just under a week. Responsibilities are a bitch when you just want to write a ShuMitsu fan fic. And then that's probably how it's going to be going forward. Maybe I can get 2 in a week if I'm lucky. Anyways, thanks for the support as before I got this chapter published this fic reached 1000 hits! I didn't expect this many people checking out my first fan fic and I hope I haven't disappointed you yet. Well, thanks for the support and I'll see you next week with chapter 8?

Notes:

Okay so I may or may not have fibbed when I said I wouldn't update this fiction until next week, but I woke up with a lot of inspiration and seeing the support from the previous chapter made me want to write this one now too. But now I will be forcing myself to focus on other things until next Wednesday which is when I will start the next chapter. As always thank you for the support on the fic and I hope you enjoy!

The world went silent.

Or at least, Mitsuru couldn't pay any attention to it.

She was holding the limp body of Minato in her arms, coating her sleeves in his blood.

She couldn't hold back any more tears. She kept herself composed for the sake of S.E.E.S for so long. Seeing him in pain slowly chipped at her resolve, but she tried to remain in control of herself, to be something her teammates could look up to.

She couldn't be that person anymore.

One tear became many, as she lost all sense of composure. Her sobs are all that could be heard, even when Yukari was crying as well.

Minato had suffered his whole life because of the Kirijo Group.

His parents. His sister.

10 years of abuse and torment.

And now this.

She could hear footsteps coming from behind her, but she couldn't turn to them. She couldn't face her friends.

"What... the..." It was Junpei's voice. That meant Aigis and Fuuka were there too. She could hear Fuuka attempt to stifle a cry, yet she was unsuccessful.

Aigis was emotionless, which only infuriated Mitsuru. How could she be standing there, not even phased by what's happening.

"I do not understand, why are you all crying?" Her robotic voice, devoid of any feelings, enraged Mitsuru.

"Why?! Because Minato is dead, Aigis! He's suffered his whole life because of my family, yet he still sacrificed his life to save mine!" Her yells echoed throughout Tartarus. "How can you still be so calm about all this?! Wasn't your objective to protect him at all costs?!"

"Mitsuru..." Akihiko's voice was quiet. He too was grieving.

"He cared about everyone but himself! He didn't care about what happened to him, as long as what he did was helping someone! He..." She couldn't continue. The pain and guilt she felt consumed her.

"I do not understand. He is not dead." Everyone went silent.

"...what?" Mitsuru's voice was faint. She couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"Wait. That power..." Fuuka's tears stopped. "I can sense it! It's weak, but he's still alive!"

Mitsuru was speechless.

That Persona's power was different.

It must be keeping him alive.

Her mind immediately focused on saving him. She was unsure if the power he held would keep him alive for long.

"Takeba! Get to healing him immediately! Do whatever you possibly can!" She turned to the rest of the team. "Aigis! Iori! The hospital isn't far from here, so we are going to take him there!"

She and Akihiko also needed patching up, but they didn't matter right now.

Everyone immediately got to work to save their leader, but time was not on their side.

Aigis was able to effortlessly carry Minato on her, and judging by how easy she could do it, she could probably get to the hospital much faster on her own. But she needed Yukari to use her abilities and give him as much of a fighting chance.

He needed to pull through.

She needed him to pull through.

8/9/2009 - Tatsumi Port Memorial Hospital - Morning

Mitsuru had stayed the whole night at the hospital, and she was determined to stay there until he wakes up.

If he wakes up.

The doctors were stunned at the state of Minato when they brought him in. They assumed he had already died, and it took a lot of convincing to prove that he hadn't. His wounds would have been fatal to anyone else.

He probably didn't know that.

The doctors said that despite the severity of his injuries, he should be fully capable in a few days. The power Minato held within him was astounding, according to them. His constitution was unlike the rest of S.E.E.S, and it felt like there was some other power, something other than his Persona, that was accelerating the recovery.

A few days. His body was almost torn in half and he's only going to be out for a few days.

Mitsuru was less concerned of her own health. But the doctors would not allow this. She had to get a few stitches and her skin was burned, but they said it would fade in time.

She didn't care about that. Not a second went by where she wasn't thinking of him.

She remembered the feeling of holding his body, thinking it was completely lifeless, as his blood poured onto her. She hated that feeling.

That must've been how he felt all those years ago.

Everyone at the dorm went to see her. They tried to convince her to come back and rest, and whilst she initially refused, it took Akihiko to change her mind. She could only rely on him right now.

When she made it back to the dorm, she immediately went to her bed and passed out from the exhaustion she felt. Despite the overwhelming feeling of worry she has for Minato, her tiredness took over as she fell into her bed, still in the clothes she wore yesterday to Tartarus.

I will wait for him.

And I will be there for him.

I won't hide anymore.

8/12/2009 - Tatsumi Port Memorial Hospital - Midday

...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
!

Minato suddenly awoke from his coma, but his eyes opened at a snails pace. He could feel tubing down his throat and a sharp sting in his arm.

He was there again.

He was alone this time.

Was I wrong...?

The beeping of the machines and the sound of the ventilator next to him were much more pronounced in his ears than anything else.

He used what motor skills he had to move his hand beside his bed and press every button he could feel, hoping that would get someone's attention.

Suddenly, a nurse slid the door to his room open and noticed his state, and immediately called for a doctor to help get him out of the machines he was being kept alive on.

Once the tube was out of his throat, he could only make out a single word:

"Mitsuru..."

No one responded to him. He wasn't sure if they didn't hear him or if they were avoiding answering.

Please be the former.

"M-Mitsuru..." He spoke louder, but still nothing.

He began to panic.

Please no...

"Mitsuru!" His voice was strained, but it was enough to finally get someone's attention.

The nurse turned to him and saw the pain in his eyes. "Kirijo-san is okay. She had to get patched up but the injuries were kept to a minimal thanks to your friend."

Oh yeah. They all know.

His heart relaxed. He didn't fail.

The nurses and doctors eventually left the room, leaving Minato alone.

But he didn't want to be alone.

Not anymore.

An hour passes and Minato can do nothing but sleep. They took his mp3 player so he can't even listen to music whilst he was in the room.

He heard the door to his room slide open, and he opened his eyes.

It was her.

He was going to say something, but he choked on his words.

She looked like she was about to cry.

She looked like she had been crying.

Before he could get a single word out, she rushed towards him and held him tightly in her arms.

Minato couldn't talk.

He couldn't think.

Had this been anyone else, he would've pushed them off immediately and would begin to panic.

But he didn't.

He couldn't with her.

He could hear muffled sobs in his shoulder.

He raised his arms and, for the first time in nearly a decade, held her close and tight.

His chest was screaming with pain. But he didn't care. She needed this.

He needed this.

They held each other for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it was only a few minutes.

Eventually, they pulled apart, yet neither of them looked like that they wanted to.

"M-My apologies, Minato. I-I just..." She looked like she was about to cry again, but she held it in this time. "I was so worried about you that I couldn't... stop myself."

She knelt down beside him whilst he was still lying on his bed. A few tears were still rolling down her face. Minato brushed her bangs aside revealing both of her eyes, and wiped the tears off her face. But before he could pull his hand away, Mitsuru held onto it tight whilst it remained on her cheek.

It was at this point, Minato knew.

He loved her.

And she loved him.

Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Minato and Mitsuru approached the entrance to the dorm together. Minato, despite the doctors and Mitsuru's recommendations, was discharged following an evaluation. The injuries he sustained, whilst they left a severe scar, were healed enough somehow that it would not be unreasonable to let him leave.

Minato stopped at the front door, and before Mitsuru could step inside, he gently grabbed her wrist. She turned back towards him with a smile on her face. She probably knew that the feelings she felt were reciprocated by now.

"I forgot to ask you earlier, but what's the date today?" His question somewhat caught Mitsuru off guard. She clearly didn't expect a question like that after what he did.

"I-It's the 12th of August." Her voice slightly stuttered, and by the look on her face, Minato could tell she was blushing.

He was only out for 4 days? He figured with the injuries he got he would've been out for at least a week.

"You know what happens on the 16th, right?" Minato's heart was pounding, but this wasn't a panicky feeling.

"Yes, it's the summer festival." Mitsuru seemed completely oblivious to what Minato was eluding to.

"I-I was thinking..." He began to lose his composure. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he had no clue how to keep himself under control. "I was thinking... if you wanted to go with me?"

Her eyes widened with shock. She wasn't expecting this at all. Perhaps she was more unaware than Minato thought.

He found that cute.

"A-As a date?" She couldn't stop stuttering at the start of her sentences.

Her saying those words made it significantly easier for Minato to ask. He was still trying to say the correct words to say, but Mitsuru made it a simple question.

He made a deep enough breath that he would think Mitsuru wouldn't catch, but he was unsure if it actually went by unnoticed.

"Yes."

Her face went through several different emotions, some Minato was unable to pinpoint, but he was able to identify a mix of shock, happiness, and perhaps relief?

"I would love to."

Minato was not prepared for that response. He wasn't prepared for any response.

He was able to keep it internally, but inside he was yelling at how happy he was that she accepted.

Externally, he made a genuine smile, the brightest he's ever made. Mitsuru matched the expression he made as he let go of her wrist.

Holy f*ck.

Holy f*ck!

They entered the dorm with smiles on their faces, which seemed to attract more attention than the fact that Minato had walked in at all.

Regardless, they all flocked around him as their smiles surrounded him.

People cared about him.

They cared about him.

Minato felt a nuzzle on his leg, which made him incredibly confused. He looked down to see the dog he saved, as happy as a dog can be.

Mitsuru turned to him with a smile. "I forgot to mention earlier. This is Koromaru, and he will be helping us in Tartarus."

Minato's smile immediately faded as he was washed with confusion. "Wai-" He was almost speechless at how confusing this was. "The dog... has a Persona?"

Everyone around him began laughing at different volumes, which only made him feel even more appreciated.

"Dude, we were insanely worried about you." Junpei reminded everyone of that night. "I mean, your chest was almost split apart!"

That made Minato remember. They saw the scars. All of the ones he made.

He anticipated for the panic to set in, and Mitsuru looked as if she was prepared for it as well.

But it never came.

He let out a large exhale. "Well, I'm okay now. It left a huge scar though." He motioned his hands onto his shirt to mimic the size of it, and demonstrated that it went from his collarbone to his waist, and was the width of his fist.

Him describing it dropped a few jaws, mainly from the other second years.

Minato was happy. Truly happy.

But he could see Aigis in the corner of his eye staring at him. To him, this was extremely unsettling.

But he didn't want to care about that. For today, he wanted to be with his friends.

And then tomorrow, prepare for his first ever date.

This was the strangest year for him, but it didn't mean it was awful.

To him, this was the best year he's ever had.

8/13/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Midday

Minato was down in the lounge, doing what he always did: blast incredibly loud music into his ears. He was thinking of a plan for the summer festival on Sunday.

Would Mitsuru wear a yukata?

Should he wear a yukata?

He was running through everything in his mind until he heard Akihiko come down the stairs. Minato knew Mitsuru and Akihiko were close friends, that they've known each other since middle school.

Should he tell him though? He isn't the easiest at picking up this kind of stuff, so maybe Minato can get some help without giving away anything.

"Sanada-senpai?"

Akihiko looks up from his fists and sees Minato on the couch.

"You alright, Arisato-san?" He looked slightly confused. He probably didn't expect Minato of all people to strike up a conversation.

Minato took his earphones off and paused his music. "Can I talk to you about something? I need some help and you were the best person to ask."

He made a small grin on his face. "Is this about Mitsuru?"

Minato's jaw dropped the second Akihiko finished his sentence. He quickly got off of the couch and approached him, aiming to be more discreet.

"Was it that obvious?" He looked down, slightly disappointed in himself. He didn't want to reveal anything until he was certain this could work.

"Well, it was mostly obvious on the 8th. The way you two fought, plus with how you two reacted when the other was in danger made it pretty telling. At least to Takeba-san."

Oh. So Yukari found out, and she told him.

"Then it was obvious when you two walked in yesterday. The smiles on your faces didn't hide much." He chuckled to himself, whilst Minato was kicking himself for being that obvious.

"Does anyone else know?" Minato stayed quiet. He didn't want to risk anyone hearing him.

"Not to my knowledge. At most, they would be curious about the two of you."

That's something, at least.

"Anyways, back to my original point, do you know of anything that might impress her?"

"Uh..." Akihiko stood silent for a moment. "There's not much I can say. I've been told I don't have an eye for this sort of thing."

That was obvious.

"But she does appreciate when people make an effort. You've seen how she is with test scores."

He has a point. Mitsuru always made sure to congratulate Minato on the scores he got.

Minato looked back up to face Akihiko. "Thanks, senpai."

"No problem." He smiled and nodded at Minato before leaving the dorm, assumingly going for a run.

After Akihiko left, Minato wrestled with various ideas in his mind.

I could wear a yukata, I want to make an effort.

But then everyone will be even more suspicious.

But they will already be suspicious if they see us together at the festival.

But that doesn't mean we would be doing anything that makes them think like that.

Minato smiled.

He never expected to be thinking about stuff like this.

8/14/2009 - Mitsuru's Room - Midday

Mitsuru was sat at her desk, thinking about the summer festival on Sunday. She hadn't anticipated Minato asking her on a date to it, despite the moment they had in the hospital together.

Thinking back at that moment made her blush and smile. She never expected him to share the same feelings.

A knock on her door brought her mind back into the present.

"Hey, Kirijo-senpai? It's Takeba. Can we talk?"

Mitsuru stood up from her chair and greeted Yukari at her door.

"Takeba. Is everything okay?"

Yukari looked somewhat distressed. "I wanna talk. Can I come in?"

Mitsuru nodded and brought her inside. Due to her upbringing, she offered to make some tea for her, which Yukari declined.

"Firstly, I wanna apologise to you."

Mitsuru was taken aback. First, Minato asks her out on a date, and now this?

"I've been told that I've been standoffish around you, and they were right. I fully thought the Kirijo Group were simply using us to clean up their mess."

Mitsuru said nothing. She had sensed the hostility from her, but it's not entirely her fault why she believed this. The Kirijo Group was ran by a detestable human being.

"And I thought you were too. That was until last Saturday. Seeing you and Minato-kun fight like that showed me how much of an idiot I was for thinking you were using us to fix the Group's mistakes. If you were using us, you wouldn't be with us."

"Takeba, I-"

"I'm not done yet." She looked disappointed with herself. "Then there was what happened with Minato-kun. Seeing you like that made me realise how much of an asshole I was. You care about all of us, or at the very least, you care about him."

Mitsuru was flustered. She forgot how much she reacted to seeing Minato like that.

"And that brings me onto my next thing. You like Minato-kun, don't you?"

Her eyes widened as soon as Yukari finished her sentence.

Mitsuru tried to speak, but she tripped on her words, making Yukari giggle.

"That's a yes then."

"...What gave it away?" Mitsuru was embarrassed. She didn't want people to know the heiress of the Kirijo Group was interested in someone.

"A few things. Junpei told me you and Minato-kun went to Hagakure together, which was one thing."

"What?!" Mitsuru made a mental note to execute Junpei later.

"Then there was what happened last Saturday. Before we fought the Reaper, you and Minato-kun were very... close by each other. You fought a lot better when you were with him, and it happened again when facing the Reaper."

Was I that obvious?

"Then there was the time when you and Minato-kun came back from the hospital a couple days ago. You two were smiling so much. I had never seen either of you two like that."

She was correct. Mitsuru had never smiled that much before, and she wasn't sure if Minato had smiled like that either.

"...Have you told anyone?"

"Only Sanada-senpai when we were in Tartarus."

What?! Akihiko?! I will never hear the end of it from him!

"So..." Yukari looked disappointed again. "Are we okay?"

Mitsuru smiled at her. "Yes, Takeba. We are." Mitsuru pulled her in for a hug, and they held each other for a small amount of time before Yukari pulled away.

"Now." She shifted to her gossipy self. "Are you two..."

Mitsuru exhaled and blushed, thinking about how embarrassing this was.

"We... are going on a date at the summer festival."

Yukari gasped at the reveal.

"Senpai! That's so sweet! Do you know what you will be doing?"

"I do not. I'm not very experienced at this sort of thing, and I'm not sure if Mi- Arisato is either." She almost slipped up. She did use his first name when they were in Tartarus, but emotions were high, and she didn't care at that moment.

"I'll let that one slide for now." Yukari noticed it. "But you gotta be more comfortable in saying it."

Mitsuru figures that she might as well tell her. She already knows so much.

"I do say it when it's just the two of us. It started at the hotel last month and just continued on from there."

"If the date at the summer festival goes well, would you want to go out with him more."

"I would." She gave no hesitation.

"Wow, senpai. I don't think I've ever seen you like this with someone."

She was correct again. Mitsuru had never felt any affection towards anyone, to the point where she sometimes considered if she would at all.

"Well, I'm rooting for you two. Minato-kun is a great guy, and I know he cares about you."

Mitsuru smiled at Yukari's statement. Hearing it from someone else only made her feelings for him more apparent.

"Thank you, Takeba."

"It's no problem, Kirijo-senpai." Yukari went to leave before she turned around. "You can call me Yukari if you want, I mean we almost died together. I'm not sure how much closer we could get."

They both chuckled. "Okay, I will, Yukari. And since you extended the offer, you can also call me Mitsuru. You aren't wrong in your logic. I'm not sure how we could get any closer after an event like that."

They both smiled at each other before Yukari left.

Her and Minato's feelings for one another were not as subtly hidden as she thought.

Mitsuru initially was disappointed with this, but maybe it would be better if the others knew. If the date goes well, that is.

She hoped it would.

8/16/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

It was the day of the summer festival, and Minato was in his room preparing for his date with Mitsuru. Akihiko's advice helped Minato, since he was unsure about so many things. But after hearing what Akihiko said, it helped him decide on what to do. He wanted to make an effort, so he decided to wear clothing that wasn't covering as much as he used to. He wanted to show how much she has helped him these past few months, and ever since he almost died, he felt like he owed it to her.

Minato looked down at the outfit he chose. He wore a short sleeve white and blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The shirt did not hide much, since the somewhat faded scars on his forearm were still visible to him.

But Minato stopped caring about them. His teammates already knew of their existence, and its not like he expects people to examine his forearm every chance they get.

Before he left his room, he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the night.

Not much time passed since Minato had joined the other guys at the lounge. Akihiko was giving Minato small glances his way, as if he already knew of his plan. Junpei was quite excited to see the girls in yukatas, which Minato wasn't awfully surprised at, since he was always somewhat interested at what they wore to certain events.

Eventually, Minato could hear various footsteps coming from the stairs, so he stood up and walked to where he could see them come in.

All of the girls were wearing yukatas, varying in colour. Even Aigis was wearing one (much to Minato's discomfort, since it means she will be joining them).

"Woah. You all look-" Junpei was cut short by Akihiko elbowing him in the ribs. He wasn't the type of guy to usually do that, but Minato assumed that he didn't want to make anything uncomfortable for Mitsuru and him.

Minato's gaze met Mitsuru's, and he was stunned by what she wore. Mitsuru had a light pink yukata decorated with palm leaves and her hair was tied up using a hairstick, but her bangs were still covering her left eye.

Only Yukari was able to catch onto them staring at each other, since she proposed that they all leave to go to the shrine, whilst also giving small glances at the two of them.

Naganaki Shrine - Evening

Everyone arrived at the summer festival, and it was already seriously packed. They all gathered at the entrance to discuss what everyone's plan was.

"Well, I'm taking Koromaru and Sanada-senpai round to the games. We made a bet that I could win more prizes than him, and he's not gonna stand a chance!" Junpei's enthusiasm was met with Akihiko's competitiveness, as they all left for the games section.

"Are you not joining them, Arisato-kun?" Fuuka's question made Minato have to think of an excuse quickly. He wasn't prepared for someone to question what he was going to do.

"Oh, uh, no, I don't want to be near them when one of them eventually loses. I think Sanada-senpai might be rubbing off on Junpei." Fuuka was convinced enough. She knew how competitive they both can be.

"Well, Fuuka and I were going to check out the festival together." Yukari turned to Aigis. "You should come with us, Aigis!"

"No." Aigis' voice remained to put Minato on edge. "I will remain at Arisato-san's side. His injury from last week could affect him whilst he is here."

f*ck. Why couldn't Aigis leave me alone for one night. Especially tonight of all nights.

Mitsuru could see Minato getting tense, and it seemed as if Yukari could too.

"We were going to watch the fireworks from up the hill, Aigis. You should be able to get a better view of the festival from up there in case Minato-kun were to get into... danger."

Minato looked intently at Aigis, and he was sure he could see the cogs turn inside her head.

"Your logic is sound, Takeba-san. I will follow you."

Minato relaxed all of his muscles in an instant, although the idea of Aigis watching him from above wasn't the most pleasant thought.

Aigis followed Fuuka and Yukari, and before they blended into the crowd, Yukari turned back to them and winked.

Yeah, she definitely knows.

"I'm gonna have to thank her for that." Minato smiled as he turned to Mitsuru, who was quietly chuckling. "You told her, didn't you?"

Mitsuru's chuckling died down, but a smile remained on her face. "She pieced it together. Apparently, we weren't so subtle about our feelings for one another, even though we ourselves couldn't see it."

"Yeah, Sanada-senpai told me the same, even though he only noticed because of Yukari."

They both laughed as they made their way to the center of the festival, but they were unsure of what to do first.

Minato felt his stomach rumbling as he walked alongside Mitsuru.

"Have you eaten yet, Mitsuru-senpai?" He tried to hide his stomachs noises, which was helped by the noise of the crowd.

"I have not, no. I was planning to eat when we came here." Her smile was still on her face, which only helped Minato keep his up.

"Well, there's a takoyaki stand over there, so why not there?" He pointed towards the stand that had a short queue, since he didn't want to wait long, and they both started walking there.

"I have never tried takoyaki before, but I've been more interested recently ever since we went to Hagakure together."

Mitsuru mentioning their experience at Hagakure made Minato laugh, not as hard as he did back then, but still enough to make her blush.

"Well," He tried to stifle his laughter so he could speak. "There isn't much to eating Takoyaki compared to ramen, so you should be okay with that." His small laughter and smile only made Mitsuru blush more, which Minato couldn't help but admire.

They made it to the takoyaki stand and Minato ordered a portion to share. Mitsuru tried to pay for it, but Minato made her remember that he would be paying the next time they went out, which only made Mitsuru pout, but then told him she would pay for their next date.

She already thought of a second date?!

Minato gave in, jokingly suggesting that they rotate who pays every time they go out, which Mitsuru genuinely agreed to. He was somewhat stunned by this, since he did not expect her to be meticulously planning the future.

Guess it comes with being a Kirijo.

They both enjoyed the takoyaki together, with Minato finding the expression she gave when she took her first bite extremely cute. He made a mental note to take her out to more places she hasn't eaten so he could see more of these faces.

The time went by and the festival was still going. Minato and Mitsuru were enjoying their time together, playing different games and winning prizes for each other. So much so that Minato hadn't noticed her arms wrapped around his until further into the night.

Must be going well then.

Eventually, it became time for the fireworks to commence. Minato had found a lone bench on the hill Yukari suggested. It had a perfect view of the city in the moonlight, and it was in the perfect position for when the fireworks started.

"This view... it's beautiful."

Minato agreed, yet he was less focused on the scenery, and more focused on her.

She relaxed onto the bench, and Minato took the opportunity to rest his arm on her shoulder.

Mitsuru gave a small chuckle. "Is that not a little cheesy, Minato?"

He smiled as he gazed into her eyes. "Maybe. But it doesn't mean it's not effective."

They both laughed, at which point Mitsuru rested her head on his shoulder.

He has never felt like this before. Any contact like this would've sent him into multiple stages of panic.

But with her, he was calm. He felt safe with her. She was with him when he had his first panic attack after joining S.E.E.S. She was with him during his second one. She helped him confront his psychological issues, and whilst they still aren't going any time soon, she was with him the whole way. She was the first (and really only) person he opened up to, listening and supporting him as he shared his past, his trauma.

He felt at peace with her.

They gazed into each other's eyes. Her bangs slightly slid off of her face, revealing both of her crimson eyes to him.

She slowly brushed away his, revealing his cold, silver eyes.

But to her, she could see a shimmer of hope and warmth.

Minato raised his other hand and caressed her cheek, stopping his hand at her chin.

He inched his face closer to hers until their lips were just barely touching.

It felt like time stopped to them.

Here goes.

He gently pressed his lips onto hers.

And she kissed back.

It was slow and gentle.

But full of affection.

To them, it felt like they had been doing it forever.

And as if it was perfectly planned, the fireworks went off into the sky.

This was a moment Minato didn't ever want to end.

And he was sure Mitsuru didn't want for it to end either.

Eventually, they did, but they did not look away from each other.

Not for a moment.

Minato wanted this to last.

The fireworks soon reached its conclusion, as if it signified the end of their night together.

Minato gazed into her eyes and smiled.

She did the same.

He was happy.

Until he felt like he was being watched.

Aigis.

He looked behind Mitsuru, and he could definitely make out Aigis' yukata in the distance.

He was annoyed at this interruption, until he noticed other figures next to her.

He focused his vision, at which point Mitsuru turned around to see what he was looking at.

It was the rest of S.E.E.S.

Yukari and Akihiko looked as smug as one could get, as if they were betting on this happening.

Fuuka grinned at the sight of them, and Junpei's jaw had dropped significantly.

Of course, Aigis was standing, motionless. It would be less disturbing if she had shown some emotion like the others.

Mitsuru's face went bright red, almost matching her hair.

Judging by their faces, they must have seen them kiss.

Minato was not looking forward to this conversation.

Notes:

Alright! I have taken my week long break and since then, this fic reached 2000 hits! Thank you all for reading as I didn't expect for my first attempt to be going as well as it is. To the people dropping kudos and giving comments I really appreciate it, it really helps motivate me to write more, even though I already enjoy writing this. I will have to say that unfortunately the fic will remain at this pace regarding updates for maybe 3 more weeks until it will be paused until June 10th. I have finals to go through and unfortunately, they are more important than this. Once it is done though I'll have full focus on this fic for 3 whole months which means I will be releasing chapters as much as I can. Again, thank you all for 2000 hits and I appreciate all the support I'm getting. I hope you enjoy chapter 9 and I will see you next week with chapter 10!

8/17/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Morning

Minato woke up from perhaps the best sleep he has had in years. His time with Mitsuru at the summer festival had eased his mind, so much that he completely forgot about the rest of S.E.E.S eavesdropping on their kiss.

At least he did forget, until he was ambushed when he walked into the kitchen.

"So... you and Kirijo-senpai, huh?" Junpei leaned on the door and watched as Minato prepared himself some breakfast.

Minato sighed, but smiled at the thought that they were a couple now. "We... are trying something. Turns out when you have a lot of baggage that someone is trying to unload, you tend to fall for them."

Junpei's grin remained on his face. "Man, I cannot believe I'd see you with a girlfriend. With Kirijo-senpai too!"

Minato couldn't stop smiling at Junpei mentioning it. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised myself. But... she helped me when I was struggling, and I guess having a near death experience like that would make you want to go for things more."

"Well, I'm happy for ya, man." Junpei pats Minato on the same shoulder that the Reaper carved at, causing him to slightly wince in pain.

He brushes it off before grabbing his food and turning to Junpei. "Thanks, Junpei. I appreciate it."

"I gotta say, it looked like you two were getting really-"

Before Junpei could finish his sentence, and before Minato could stop him, Mitsuru walks into the kitchen and brews herself a cup of coffee, giving Junpei an icy glare in the process.

Minato chuckled at the sight of Junpei tensing up like that, which Mitsuru noticed by giving him a small smile before heading into the lounge.

Minato followed her to the table and sat down opposite her, preparing to eat his breakfast. He and Mitsuru were giving each other small glances and the occasional smirk, before everyone else made their way down the stairs.

Yukari was looking somewhat smug, as if she was planning on this happening. Akihiko, despite being quite socially inept, did have the same grin Junpei gave Minato earlier. Fuuka had a genuine smile, which was appreciated a lot more by the two compared to the others. Aigis was emotionless as ever, but focused her vision on Minato, which somewhat stressed him out.

Koromaru was as playful as ever, almost causing Junpei to drop his own food, which led to everyone laughing together.

Things were good.

Minato was happy.

Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Midday

Everyone was gathered in the control room, but it wasn't for a mission. Mitsuru had informed everyone that Ikutsuki would be coming over and wanted to hold a meeting, which raised a few eyebrows.

Minato was carefree whilst sat next to Mitsuru. He had his mp3 player on, but only wore one earphone, intending to pay attention to the meeting for once.

"Well," Ikutsuki gathered everyone's attention. "I assume you are all wondering why I gathered you all here."

There were several nods coming from everyone.

"The reason why I have done so is because S.E.E.S will be gaining a new member."

On cue, the door opened and everyone looked up to welcome the new member.

Until they saw a child walk through.

"This is Amada-kun. He will be joining you all in the fight against the Shadows."

A wave of shock washed over the teenagers.

"Thank you. I hope to prove myself to you all!" He bowed towards everyone, and had an air of maturity about him.

He barely looked 12!

"This was his idea to join you all after we learned he had the potential, so I hope you all fight well alongside each other." Ikutsuki had a wide smile on his face.

Minato was not pleased. He didn't want a child to join.

Mitsuru noticed his expression and subtly nudged his arm. Minato took this as a request to speak to him.

After the meeting was adjourned and everyone had left, only Minato and Mitsuru remained in the room after Yukari dragged Aigis out with her.

"I assume you aren't pleased with Amada joining us." Mitsuru had that classic concerned look on her face.

Minato sighed. "No. I'm not. He's 11, and we are bringing him on to fight monsters and put his life on the line."

"I admit, I'm not happy myself either. But it was his choice to join, and he accepted it." Mitsuru got closer to Minato as he continued to look distressed.

"It's just... He shouldn't even be thinking about this stuff at his age. He should be more focused on..." Minato couldn't finish that sentence. He had no idea what kids Ken's age should be focused on.

He never got to himself.

Mitsuru held him in her arms, and Minato did the same.

All of a sudden, things felt easier to him.

8/20/2009 - Iwatodai Strip Mall - Midday

"I wanna bring in another person onto the team."

Minato was brought outside Hagakure Bowl by Akihiko. He was unsure who, and why, since they had just gotten Ken as a teammate, but more people meant they had a better shot at fighting the Shadows.

After some time, the door to Hagakure opened, and a man stepped out.

He wore a burgundy coat and a black beanie...

Wait.

He's the guy from the alley back in June!

"Seriously, Aki? I told you-"

"Sorry, but I'm not taking no for an answer this time." He lifted his arm, showing him a briefcase.

The man looked up at Minato and squinted.

"You're that kid who fought those punks a couple months back."

Minato nodded.

"We need your help, Shinji." Akihiko frowned. "Amada has joined the team."

Ken? Why was Akihiko mentioning him now?

'Shinji's' eyes widened.

"You're sh*ttin' me..."

Akihiko slowly nodded.

"...Fine."

He accepted like that? Why did it take Akihiko to mention Ken to change his mind?

He walked up to Minato. "Name's Aragaki. I assume you're the leader now?"

Minato nodded. "Arisato." Aragaki seemed like a guy not keen on long conversations, so Minato kept his short.

"Aki, my room still free?"

"Yeah"

"Alright. I'll stop by later with my stuff."

Aragaki gave Minato another look and then left. There seemed to be some respect in that look, but Minato wasn't sure.

"Does Mitsuru know he's joining?"

Akihiko smiled. "Mitsuru, huh?"

sh*t. I didn't expect him to notice that.

"Yeah, she knows. It originally was just us 3, but then stuff happened."

Stuff, huh? Must be something to do with Ken.

Akihiko looked away from him.

Yeah, definitely something to do with Ken.

8/24/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Shinjiro and Ken had moved into the dorm, and now it felt busier than ever. 10 members in S.E.E.S, one of them being a dog. Despite the surge in new joinings recently, Minato was happy with them. Koromaru was a dog, so there was no reason not to enjoy having him. Ken was very mature for his age, which both surprised and disappointed Minato, since he should just be doing things an 11 year old would enjoy, and not be as formal as a businessman, but he was respectful. Shinjiro, whilst he can be blunt, was someone Minato could respect. He reminds Minato of himself, and Minato believes he thinks the same.

Minato was in the lounge, reading with Mitsuru. She wanted to get him interested in the novels she was into, and Minato accepted. They had only been a couple for a week, but considering their relationship before the date at the festival, they were a lot closer than one might expect.

They were engrossed in the novel together, up until Minato heard a commotion in the kitchen.

He hastily made his way to the source of the noise, only to find Fuuka in there.

"Is everything alright, Yamagishi-san?" He was confused. He heard a noise, but nothing seemed out of place in here.

"Y-Yes, sorry, Arisato-kun. I was thinking about cooking some food but I couldn't find the pan I needed." She was still very timid, even after being at the dorm for a couple months.

"Everything alright in here?" Shinjiro appeared from behind Minato, and was oddly concerned.

Fuuka seemed nervous. She probably wasn't expecting two people to check up on her.

"Yeah, Yamagishi-san wanted to cook something but she couldn't find what she needed."

"What did you want to make?"

Does Shinjiro know how to cook?

"I-I saw a recipe online about katsudon, and I thought about trying to cook it myself." She continued to remain somewhat shy.

"You got the ingredients?" Shinjiro was weirdly invested in this.

He definitely knows how to cook.

Fuuka nodded her head and opened the fridge, revealing all of the ingredients she was going to use. There were some vegetables Minato saw that definitely did not belong on a katsudon, so she must have no experience in cooking.

Shinjiro noticed this clearly, as he grabbed an apron for himself. "I'll show you what to do. You've bought a lot here, and I've seen the sh*t you all eat, so it's time you ate something other than something you put in the microwave."

Minato grabbed the dark blue apron beside him. "I'll help."

"You know what to do, Arisato?"

He had been cooking for years. He had to or else he would have starved.

"Yeah. I know enough."

Shinjiro must've noticed his confidence, since he didn't object to Minato's help.

They got to work on making enough katsudon for the whole dorm, and Minato was amazed by Shinjiro's skill, and judging by Fuuka's reaction, she didn't expect to see either of them cook.

Mitsuru, wondering what was taking Minato so long, eventually joined the 3 in the kitchen, and was surprised by the sight of her boyfriend cooking with Shinjiro. Minato knew that she was aware of the reason why he knew how to cook, due to their conversation back in Yakushima, but seeing him in action was not something she expected.

Minato saw her in the corner of his eye and gave her a smile, one that she reciprocated before turning back into the lounge.

"So what's goin' on with you two." Shinjiro noticed their not-so-subtle look.

Before Minato had a chance to answer, Fuuka jumped in quite joyfully. "They started dating, Aragaki-senpai!"

Shinjiro scoffed at the idea, but the look Minato gave him made Shinjiro believe it was genuine.

"Yamagishi-san, could you get everyone to come down?" Minato used the fact that the food was almost ready as an opportunity to talk with Shinjiro, since he clearly had something to say about it.

She nodded her head and left the kitchen, leaving just Minato with Shinjiro.

"Never expected to hear she's dating someone. She didn't seem like the type of girl to be interested in that stuff."

Minato felt pride in that. "Guess I'm special then."

"So when'd it become official?"

"The summer festival last week. But we were getting close in July."

"How come?"

sh*t.

Minato forgot Shinjiro didn't know of his condition.

There's no reason to hide it from him, though.

"She's been helping me. I got a lot of issues in my past, and she's helping me get past them."

Minato still didn't enjoy talking about his past. The only person he could feel comfortable doing that with is Mitsuru. But he feels like Shinjiro could understand him.

Before anything else could be said, Fuuka came down with the rest of the team, who were enticed by the smell of the food in the kitchen.

Everyone enjoyed the food, and praised both Minato and Shinjiro for their work, yet neither of them were particularly bothered by it. Cooking wasn't a brilliant memory for Minato, but he should try and get past it somehow.

The only praise he did accept was Mitsuru's, but only with a smile subtle enough that no one else would notice.

Once everyone finished, Fuuka had insisted to clean up since she felt guilty for not helping enough with the cooking, and she refused for anyone to help her, which gave Mitsuru the opportunity to pull Minato aside and take him to the 2nd floor lounge since people were less likely to interrupt them there.

She sat down next to him with their arms pressed against one another. "I was under the impression that you weren't fond of cooking." She had a mix of slight concern and surprise on her face.

"I'm not. It brings up bad memories sometimes, but when I'm with you guys, it helps." Minato smiled and nudged Mitsuru slightly, making her blush. "But, if you want, I could make something for the two of us some time?"

She turned to him, surprised by the offer. "Are you sure, Minato? I don't want to cause any problems."

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have offered. And like I said, it's better when I'm with you." He reached around and rubbed her arm, making her rest her head on his shoulder.

Being officially a couple for a week didn't matter to them, as they knew they cared about each other.

It's not like everyone saves their girlfriend from certain death.

8/26/2009 - Mitsuru's Room - Early Morning

Mitsuru had stayed up late due to certain projects needing someone's attention, and her father was directed elsewhere.

After she finished her tasks for the night, she prepared herself to sleep, until she heard a muffled yell coming from below. Worried for whoever produced that noise, she crept out of her room to not disturb anyone that hadn't heard it.

She descended the stairs onto the boys floor, and saw a light coming from the end of the hallway.

It was coming from Minato's room.

She quickly made her way to his door, seeing it was slightly ajar. She wrestled with the thought that she was invading his privacy, but she thinks he'll allow it for her.

She peeked through the gap to see no one in the room, but that the bed had been left a mess.

She turned and made her way back to the stairs, going down towards the lounge. It was then when she saw him, slumped on the couch.

"sh*t. Did I wake you up?" He looked up at her with an apologetic expression.

"No... no you didn't. I just finished some work and I heard you."

Minato sighed heavily, and wiped his forehead with his palm. Mitsuru walked towards him and knelt infront of him, gently holding his hand.

"Minato... what happened?" She slowly stroked the back of his hand, aiming to calm his nerves.

"Had a nightmare. Started getting them again recently." His voice was quivering, but there was nothing else suggesting he was about to cry.

Was he incapable of crying?

"Do you want to talk about it?" She didn't stop stroking his hand.

"No. Not right now."

She held him close, resting his head against her shoulder. His breath was shaking as he wrapped his arms around her.

She heavy steps coming from behind her, followed by a rough voice.

"You guys okay?" It was Shinjiro.

"f*ck..." Minato slowly pulled away from Mitsuru. "Sorry for waking you up, senpai."

"What happened?"

He looked at him for a moment, then back at Mitsuru.

She took this as a request.

"Aragaki, I'll meet you upstairs, and I'll give you an explanation."

He nodded at her, but gave Minato a concerned look before going back upstairs.

Mitsuru turned back to Minato. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Minato nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, Mitsuru."

She smiled at him before hugging him another time. "Do you think you can go back to sleep at all?"

"I don't know."

His words made her frown, which he noticed, so he gave her a smile of reassurance. She lightly kissed him on the forehead before turning to the stairs to explain to Shinjiro what happened.

He was leaning up against the railing of the stairs when Mitsuru came, twiddling his thumbs.

"Mitsuru. What's goin' on?" She had never seen Shinjiro look this concerned before.

"He... experienced a nightmare."

Shinjiro's expression did not change.

"Minato... suffers from PTSD, among other things." Mitsuru's hand clenched on her upper arm, and she noticed Shinjiro's fist tighten.

"Why?"

"His family died in a car crash 10 years ago, and since then... he went through a great deal of suffering." Mitsuru decided to be vague when discussing the abuse Minato received, but knew Shinjiro would pick up on what she meant.

"f*ck. So that's what he meant by issues in his past."

Mitsuru frowned as she looked to the floor. Minato has already done more to help so many people than she has, but she cannot find a way to help him.

"He's been getting help, but it'll be a while before we see any improvement. I just wish I could do more."

She held back tears. She had to be strong.

"Just be there for him. I of all people understand what he's goin' through. But he's got you, and from what I just saw, you two seem pretty close."

Mitsuru slightly smiled. She enjoyed hearing that she and Minato were close with each other.

"Okay. Thank you, Aragaki."

Shinjiro nodded at her before heading back to his room.

Mitsuru went back down stairs to still see Minato sitting in the darkness.

She approached the couch and sat next to him, but didn't do much else.

"It was when I was 14."

Mitsuru looked at Minato; his head looking straight up at the ceiling.

"I was alone in the house for days, and I hadn't eaten since they left, so I made chicken and rice just so I didn't starve."

She reached out and held his hand, interlocking fingers.

"But I took too long cleaning up, and they came back before I was done."

His hand began to tremble. Mitsuru rubbed her thumb on it gently, which soothed his nerves.

"She shouted and berated me, calling me a disappointment. He grabbed a toolbox and started hitting me with something, but I couldn't tell what. All I knew was it was metal."

Mitsuru's vision began to go cloudy. She hated hearing everything Minato went through. To her, it was just proof how horrid her grandfather was, to let his ambitions grow too much and cause so much suffering.

And she hated it even more that it happened to the person she cared about.

Minato scoffed. "I never cooked after that. Not unless I was sure any of my foster parents were gone for long enough. I guess cooking with the others brought that memory back."

Mitsuru pulled him into her and embraced him, wrapping his arm around his neck. He relaxed his muscles and rested on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Minato." She lightly stroked his hair, seeing the blue strands weave through her fingers.

"It's fine." He pulled away slightly, but only enough so that their eyes met. "This doesn't change the fact that I want to cook for you."

His face turned to a slight smile. Despite the horrible memories, he still wanted to enjoy what he could.

Mitsuru matched his smile as she held him close.

They had only been officially a couple for a little over a week, yet they held each other like they had been together for a long time.

8/30/2009 - Movie Theatre - Afternoon

Minato aimed to take Mitsuru out on a date, since it had been a couple weeks since the summer festival and they hadn't gone out together since, and he wanted to make sure nothing would interrupt his plans. He planned to take her to see a movie at the film festival, and then cook her something, like he said he would. He knew most of the team would not bother them, but Aigis was going to be an issue. Luckily enough, Ikutsuki needed to take her to the Kirijo Group for some reason, and whilst Minato was a little confused since he wasn't given a reason, he wasn't going to pass the opportunity up.

Minato waited outside the movie theatre for Mitsuru to arrive, spotting various Gekkoukan students walking past. He hoped none of them would see the two together, or their plans to keep their relationship somewhat private would be soiled.

After a small amount of time, he saw long red hair in the corner of his eye, followed by two others. Upon closer inspection, Fuuka and Yukari had followed Mitsuru to their date.

"What are you two doing here?"

Fuuka giggled. "We wanted to see you two on your date!"

Minato smiled as he turned to Mitsuru, who tried to hide her blush with her hair.

"I might have to just take you out on one without telling you." Minato chuckled. "Maybe then, people won't find out when we go out."

Mitsuru smiled back at him. "For the record, I didn't tell them, they saw me preparing and interfered."

"Well they better have their own tickets since I only have the two." He pulled out the tickets, only to see Mitsuru's visible eye widen.

"Is that 'Eternal Love' that I see? I didn't think you were into the classics." Mitsuru smirked.

"Not necessarily, but I know you are." Minato could see Mitsuru's cheeks get even redder.

Yukari scoffed. "Get a room, you two."

"Are you going to just stand there or do you have anything better planned?" Minato matched her sarcasm.

"Fuuka-chan and I were going to go shopping." That was their cue to depart, leaving Minato and Mitsuru to their date.

"You ready?" Minato could still make out a blush on her face.

"Of course."

They locked arms and began their second date together.

2 and a half hours later

"Is that how all relationships end up?"

Mitsuru was oddly engrossed with the film, which Minato couldn't help but find it cute.

"And they wholly misrepresent how being the ruler of a kingdom is! It isn't something easy or calm! There are duties and...

She noticed him staring at her, and then realised she was more immersed in the film than she knew.

"My apologies. I may have gotten too interested in the film."

"Don't be. It's cute." Mitsuru's face went fully red after that comment.

"D-Don't say that when we are in public. People might see us!" Mitsuru scolded him, but it wasn't genuine.

They left the movie theatre, but still had time to kill before Minato planned to cook dinner, so they went to Chagall's Cafe, which was quiet since the lunchtime rush had finished, so they weren't worried about people noticing them.

Minato watched Mitsuru drink her beverage, and noticed how formal she presents herself. To the way she lifts the mug off of the saucer, and how she drinks it, you would think she was royalty. She wasn't too far off though, since being a Kirijo is probably just a couple steps away from it.

"Minato? Is something wrong?" She noticed how quiet he was when looking at her.

"I'm just noticing how cute it is when you drink coffee."

"Y-You are really being a nuisance, you know that?" She couldn't hide how flustered she was.

Minato laughed as he drunk his coffee, which caught her attention more than anything.

"Your laugh. It's nice to hear it."

Now Minato started blushing, which made Mitsuru chuckle herself.

He looked up at her. "I feel better when I'm with you. Like I don't have to focus on everything going on."

They both smiled at each other.

"I feel the same. I don't worry about any of my duties when with you, Minato. I enjoy the time we spend together."

"We've only been a couple for two weeks and we're already saying things like this." They both laughed.

"Well, there are multiple reasons why that is the case. We live in the same dorm, so it's undeniable that we see each other more often than others do."

Minato nodded along with her points. The way she articulated and presented herself amazed him.

"...and you saved my life. I'm certain that I would've died from that attack, so I'm forever grateful, Minato."

He made a wide grin. "I don't know if I'll ever get tired of hearing that from you."

"That also reminds me." Her expression shifted to her textbook concerned look. "I don't want you to be doing that anymore. I care about you, and I don't want to see you recklessly endanger yourself for the sake of others."

"I understand." He didn't. In his eyes, he should be the one taking the hits, since he was the strongest. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop. If I see someone in serious danger, I'm going to step in and take the hit. I... can't let someone get hurt from my inaction."

"Why? I hate seeing you getting needlessly hurt." She reached over the table and grabbed his hand.

"I wasn't able to save my sister. I can't let it happen again under my watch."

Mitsuru sighed. "I just wish you would take better care of yourself, Minato."

Minato reached over and used his other hand to overlap hers. "Hey. You made me see that I should be more careful and less reckless when we go out. But I just can't let someone get seriously hurt. Not when I'm able to."

Old habits die hard, Mitsuru.

Minato checked his wristwatch. "Oh, we should head back to the dorm. I've made sure we get the lounge to ourselves tonight."

Mitsuru looked curious. "Just what are you planning, Minato?"

"Not saying." He motioned his hand like his was zipping his lips.

After arriving at the dorm, Minato went straight to the kitchen to prepare their meals, Mitsuru closely following behind.

As he put his apron on, he could see Mitsuru's face, full of surprise.

"I told you I would cook for you, did I not?" Minato teased her and saw her blush again, letting out a small chuckle.

I'm never gonna get tired of that, am I?

Mitsuru watched Minato skillfully prepare their meal. He decided to cook ramen, since he wanted to see if she would do what she did when they went to Hagakure. She tried to intervene sometimes, offering to help, but he stood by his word that he was going to cook for her.

There were periods whilst he cooked where he would remember the abuse. He flinched only slightly, but every time he did, he could see Mitsuru frown. She knew what was going on in his mind, but he brushed it aside. He didn't want to ruin their meal.

After some time, he finished cooking and they ate their food. Minato took glances up at her and could see the various expressions on her face. They varied between surprise and delight, which only made Minato smile.

"This is incredible, Minato." She placed her chopsticks inside a completely empty bowl.

"Thank you, Mitsuru. I must say, your etiquette has improved since Hagakure." He chuckled at the memory, and how she slurped incredibly loudly. This time, she was significantly more aware of her volume, yet she did let a loud one slip, which Minato couldn't help but smile at.

"I... may have been practicing since then." She looked embarrassingly at her feet, but Minato reached over the table to grab her hand. She smiled at the sensation of her hand in his.

Minato wanted this moment to never end.

Unfortunately, it did.

Aigis entered the dorm after Ikutsuki loudly introduced himself. The couple pulled away from each other, since they only preferred their teammates knowing of their relationship.

Seeing the android soured Minato's expression.

"I guess this means our date is over." Minato whispered so only Mitsuru could hear him.

"Arisato-san. You are aware of the large Shadow appearing in 6 days, correct?"

Her voice made him tense up. Of course he knew, he had a calender telling him whenever a full moon was about to happen.

And if he didn't, he had Pharos come in every time it was the week before.

He nodded at her. As much as he did not want to acknowledge her, he knew he had to. Luckily enough, she was worse than Akihiko when it came to social cues, so she did not pick up on his discomfort.

He turned back to Mitsuru. "I'll get this cleaned up."

"No. I'll do it." She immediately shot up from her seat and grabbed his bowl. "You cooked for us, so it is only fair if I clean."

He chuckled again. It seems like that's all he does around her. "How about we both do it?"

She glared at him. Although she said nothing, he understood what she meant.

"Good point."

She quickly shifted her face to a smile before heading into the kitchen.

Minato enjoyed this feeling. He was tired of pushing people away.

Now he can enjoy the happiness he feels.

9/5/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room

The past week was uneventful for S.E.E.S. School started again, and Minato and Mitsuru had both agreed on keeping their relationship to themselves (and their teammates) for a bit longer, just so they can enjoy the time they have without people starting rumors or disrupting them. Although, Minato began to notice the amount of people who clearly fancy the student council president, and this did not sit well with him. There were many boys from all years, and a few girls too. But she probably feels the same way about him. Minato has also noticed the amount of eyes he has on him now. Junpei had been telling him this, but Minato never believed him.

When the thought of Junpei crossed his mind, Minato realised that he wasn't in the control room with them.

"Where's Junpei?" Yukari looked as confused as he was.

"I'm not sure. I've been trying to locate him, but I cannot sense him anywhere." Fuuka remained focused when using Lucia.

"We should focus on the Shadow for now. Yamagishi, you can keep looking for him when we fight." Mitsuru's authoritative presence impressed Minato.

"Right! The Shadow is at Paulownia Mall!"

But it wasn't. At least not how they were expecting. They expected for there to be a Shadow floating around the center, maybe even on the fountain. In actuality, it was underground in a power room of some sorts, and it was surging with electricity.

Minato brought in Mitsuru, Shinjiro and Ken along for the fight. He would've brought Yukari, but it would have been too much of a risk to bring their main healer against an enemy which attacks with her weakness.

It flung around loose cables everywhere, frantically, but it was not effective in hitting anyone. Mitsuru's ice alongside Minato's fire with Black Frost made a deadly combination, as it did heavy damage towards the Hermit.

Ken's Persona, Nemesis, was adept at dealing damage with light attacks and keeping the party healed, which paired impressively well with Shinjiro's Persona, Castor, which focused solely on physical skills, and was perhaps the best in the team with it.

Suddenly, though, Ken froze.

The look on his face was made of horror, like he had seen a ghost.

"Ken!" Minato charged at the boy, taking a Ziodyne in his place.

"Minato!" Mitsuru ran towards the two, but Minato brushed off the attack as best he could before launching a Heat Wave from Girimekhala.

"I'm... okay." His breathing was slightly heavy, but it was nothing to be concerned about to him. Mitsuru wasn't happy, though.

"If you three could stop f*cking about, we can kill this thing!" Shinjiro's voice echoed in the chamber, snapping Minato and Mitsuru back into reality. Ken, however, remained frozen.

"Akihiko! You take Ken's place! Aigis, get Ken away from here!" Minato ordered at the reserves of the team, and they did as he instructed.

Akihiko was the best replacement he could have at that point. He had some healing skills, so he somewhat filled Ken's role, but the damage he was doing was minimal, so the 3 remaining fighters had to attack harder. He resisted the Shadow's attacks at least, so he was useful as a lure.

Sparks and electricity lit up the arena, and whilst Shinjiro and Akihiko took most of the attention from the Shadow, Minato and Mitsuru stuck together and dealt major blows against the Hermit. Her rapier and his sword were in sync, and their final attacks included a thrust to the chest by Mitsuru, and a slice to the head by Minato.

The Hermit collapsed to the ground, and Minato turned to look at his team. Mitsuru was unharmed but somewhat tired. Akihiko and Shinjiro were grazed but that was it. Ken, however, was still in shock.

"Amada-kun, is everything okay?" Fuuka reached down to him, only for him to regain his composure and shake off whatever he felt.

"Yes. Sorry for freezing, Arisato-senpai, it won't happen again." His gaze matched Minato's, and received a nod in response.

Everyone turned to leave the room, but Mitsuru stopped Minato in his tracks.

"You need to stop, Minato. I do not want to see you getting hurt like that." Her eyes, full of worry, met his, and he knew she was hurting to see him continue to throw himself in harms way.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru." He held both of her hands gently. "But you saw him. He froze. I don't know what caused him to do that, but I knew he would have taken a lot of damage had I not intervened."

He knew Mitsuru agreed with him, but she still couldn't stand seeing him constantly take other people's hits.

"Hey." He let go of her hands and grabbed her by the waist. "Like I said last week, you being here stops me from being so reckless. It's only when I see people in serious danger that I have to step in."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering in a soft tone. "I just wish you did not have to at all."

He smiled at her. Her concern for him only made him care about her more. No one ever since his parents death cared about him like she does, hell, no one at all ever cared about him like she does.

They shared a kiss together; it was less passionate than their first kiss at the summer festival, yet it was softer. There was more care and affection in it.

"Alright you two, that's enough. Fuuka-chan said she found Junpei at the dorm so we are heading there now." Yukari sounded somewhat snappy at the sight of them, but they didn't care.

They pulled away from each other, both of them blushing, but neither of them really wanted to stop.

"We should probably head back or they're gonna start getting suspicious." Minato teased her, only causing her to blush even more.

They met with the rest of their team and went back to the dorm.

Iwatodai Dorm Rooftop

"Medea."

Mitsuru stood frozen at the sight of girl in a gothic white dress, planting the barrel of an Evoker at her jaw.

She must be with Strega. How did she have an Evoker, though?

"Chidori! No!"

A restrained Junpei leapt onto her, causing her to fall to the floor and drop her Evoker. Minato immediately ran to grab it and keep it away. The girl tried to squirm, shouting for her Evoker, but Junpei refused to move, and eventually, she lost consciousness, assumingly from the stress.

"Chidori..."

Junpei knew this girl. She must have manipulated him somehow. Even he was not that stupid, despite how much Yukari likes to point it out.

She saw Minato look at the Evoker, and she noticed it had a different design. It looked like the older, prototype model, meaning they either stole it somehow, or they had a contact from the inside.

Minato looked towards the girl, then to Mitsuru. She knew he was entrusting this to her.

"I'll arrange for transport to take her to the hospital. We will try to get information from her somehow." She kept her serious and authoritative stance, and even though she knew Minato appreciated seeing her like that, he was more focused on the girl and the Evoker in his hand.

He handed the Evoker to Mitsuru before running to Junpei, cutting him free from his restraints. They both nodded at each other before Junpei picked the girl up.

"I'm gonna take her to the front. Can you guys come with me?" He looked towards Minato, Akihiko and Shinjiro, and they all agreed. Junpei and Minato both carried her, and they all went to the entrance, waiting for the Kirijo Group to send someone.

Mitsuru needed to look into this. She couldn't understand the idea that S.E.E.S would have enemies.

They all left the rooftop, only with more questions that they are unlikely to receive the answer to.

Notes:

Alright, I am here with Chapter 10! I wanna apologise for the lack of an update for the last few days. I was swamped with work and school and I hit a block with the chapter that it became pretty difficult to both find time to write and figure out what to write. Now, I have something I am content with, and there will be at most 2 more chapters before I go on hiatus until June 10th. If I post Chapter 11 but do not post anything the week after, then you know why. I'll also make sure to say in the notes of Chapter 11 as well just to remind you all. As always, I really appreciate the support this fic is receiving, since between my releasing this chapter and chapter 9, we got an extra 800 hits. I really appreciate all of you for checking it out as it really helps me when writing. Anyway I've kept you waiting long enough so I'll stop here. I hope you enjoy!

9/7/2009 - Student Council Room - After School

It had been over a full day since the last full moon operation, and Minato could feel the tension in the dorm. Mitsuru and Akihiko had been questioning that girl Chidori, which Junpei had refused to let it happen without him. Despite Yukari trying to stop him, he bursted into the hospital room, and somehow was able to get her to talk more than either of the third years could. Now he's visiting her almost every day, both trying to get her to talk, and to just be there with her.

Minato and Mitsuru stood alone in the student council room after their meeting. Odagiri, with Minato's help, was able to find the culprit to the smoker, much to Minato's surprise. He hadn't expected Odagiri to be still hung up about it even past the summer break. They sat next to each other in the now quiet room, finishing off their remaining tasks.

"You were almost noticed, Minato." Mitsuru looked at him with a glare, but Minato could tell it wasn't a genuine one, so he smirked in response. "You really are trouble. I'm not so surprised now that Odagiri was suspicious of you."

"Hey, you can't blame me. What am I supposed to do when I'm sat next to Miss Student Council President herself? And besides, I was just smiling at you, and I wasn't caught either." His smirk remained on his face, which gave Mitsuru a small chuckle.

"I suppose you are right. I may have also done the same when you weren't looking." Her smile brought warmth to Minato.

"See? Not so easy to go without a look now isn't it?"

They both laughed, which brought comfort to both of their hearts.

But there was something in Minato's mind. It was Ken. Something happened to him, and it had something to do with Shinjiro.

"Hey, Mitsuru?"

She quickly turned to him with a 'Hm?'.

"Do you know if anything happened between Amada and Aragaki-senpai?"

Her face dropped suddenly. That did not help Minato's concern.

"I don't believe I am the best person to talk to about this. You should talk to Aragaki." She had disappointment all over her face but Minato was unsure why.

"So something did happen?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Well I was going to speak to him anyways. I don't want something to cause issues in the team at all." Minato felt a hint of authority, which Mitsuru took notice of.

"I've never seen you like this, Minato." She nudged him slightly, teasing him.

"You must be rubbing off on me then. We've all seen how serious you can get." He reached around and held her, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Minato. What if someone spots us?" The innocence in her voice made Minato laugh, as he was not expecting her to unknowingly make an innuendo. "What's so funny?"

He stopped laughing as she lifted her head up from his embrace, but with his arm still around her. "Nothing, don't worry. And no one else would come in here anyways."

Mitsuru gave him a sly look before returning to the same position, this time with both of Minato's arms wrapped around her.

Things were good.

Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Minato and Shinjiro were in the kitchen, and luckily, they were the only ones in the dorm, apart from Koromaru. He was unsure where Aigis was, perhaps with Ikutsuki again, but he didn't want to will her into the dorm when he was enjoying his time without her eyeing him. Everyone else had plans, but would be returning soon, so Minato took the opportunity to approach Shinjiro about him and Ken.

"Can we talk, Aragaki-senpai?" Minato finished cutting the vegetables in front of him before pouring them into the pan Shinjiro was handling.

"Don't bother with the honorific." Shinjiro tossed the vegetables in the pan effortlessly as he spoke. "What's up?"

"I wanna know what happened between you and Amada."

Minato could see Shinjiro's eyes widen after he spoke. He didn't stop cooking though.

"Why do you have to know that?" His rough voice went sharp for a moment.

"Because I've noticed that there's something between you two. How Amada froze during the operation was surprising, and it happened right after you summoned Castor."

Shinjiro's knuckles went white.

"I can tell you don't like talking about this. I'll stop, but just letting this sit isn’t gonna help anyone."

Shinjiro relaxed his fist and sighed.

"I... killed his mom."

Minato was speechless.

He... killed Amada's... mom?!

"It'll be two years ago in October." His voice was quiet. This was a complete different side of him. "It was when it was just me, Aki and Mitsuru. We were hunting a Shadow that got out of Tartarus, but, for some reason, Castor went f*ckin' berserk. And Amada's mom was there."

Minato couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"It's why I left. But even then, I still remember it like it was yesterday. Pops up when I sleep every now and then."

Minato looked down at the half-prepared food.

"And you blame yourself for it, don't you?"

"How could I not?" He raised his voice. "It was my Persona that went berserk. I lost control of it."

Minato couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Mitsuru. They both blamed themselves for things that were out of their control.

And Shinjiro was just like him.

"I've been through my fair share of self-blaming. My family died because I made the decision that led us over the bridge. Mitsuru tells me it isn't my fault, but that feeling isn't something you can just shake off."

Minato took his hands off of the counter and turned his body to Shinjiro.

"My point is... this stuff sticks with you, but recently, I've learnt that you can't just sit and let it take hold of you."

"I take it Mitsuru had a hand in that?"

Minato smiled. He seemed to be unable to control it whenever Mitsuru is mentioned. "She was the one who got me going to a psychiatrist in the first place."

"How's that going?"

Minato let out a sigh. "Honestly? Pretty rough. The first couple sessions weren't great, which you could expect. It got alright for a bit, but now that I've been getting nightmares again, it's pushed me back. Why the interest?"

Shinjiro poured the contents on the pan onto a pair of plates before turning towards Minato. "Because you remind me of me. You've gone through a lot of sh*t in your life, and like me, you still suffer from it even when it ain't happening. Probably why I told you all of this sh*t to begin with."

Minato looked to the floor, deep in thought.

I guess that's also why I told him all of that too.

"Aragaki?"

"Yeah?"

"You gotta talk to Amada. I can tell he's gonna do something, and I can take a guess on what that something is."

Shinjiro sighed, much like Minato did. "Yeah. I know."

They ate their food in silence, with Shinjiro quickly taking his empty plate to wash before leaving the lounge.

Minato tried to process everything in his head.

Aragaki... killed Amada's mom.

Or at least his Persona did.

Minato couldn't shake the eerie feeling off of him.

Would Amada...

No.

He looked down at his empty plate with a slight feeling of worry. He hoped that Shinjiro would at least talk to him, but considering what Ken may be feeling, it may be better to keep an eye on them, and maybe sideline him until he has improved.

Please don't do anything Ken.

9/10/2009 - Class 2-E - Lunch Time

Minato was sat at his desk with Yukari and Junpei surrounding him. He would have preferred to be with Mitsuru, but they agreed to keep their relationship away from prying eyes, at least until they felt comfortable with everyone else knowing. That didn't stop them from showing their appreciation to one another in private, normally in the student council room when at Gekkoukan. And it didn't stop his friends from teasing him either.

They chatted about the upcoming school festival, which had only brought about more teasing, since Junpei found it funny that a kissing booth would only be used by them.

"Yo! Arisato-kun!" A distant yet loud voice shouted from behind him. He turned around to see Kenji and Kaz stood together, who then approached Minato after they locked eyes. Kenji had a smug look on his face. "We've heard some interesting info about you."

Minato turned to his dorm mates with a glare reminiscent of Mitsuru's own stare.

She really is rubbing off on me, huh.

"What'd you hear?" His tone was cold, which only made Yukari and Junpei shudder.

"We've heard that you got a date during the summer!" Their curious looks only made Minato both angrier and more nervous, at least internally. This was the exact opposite to what he and Mitsuru wanted.

Before he could get a chance to respond, Kaz then jumped in. "So... who was the girl?!"

No one noticed, but Minato had exhaled for perhaps too long, to the point where he got somewhat dizzy.

Holy sh*t...

"Not saying." He kept his tone level to not invite any more questions.

"Is it you, Takeba-san?" Kenji's question made Minato almost choke on his water, and Yukari's eyes almost popped out of her skull.

"What! No! He's going out wit-" Before Yukari could finish that sentence, Junpei covered her mouth and Minato yelled a loud 'HEY!', attracting a lot of attention within the class.

"Okay... so not you." Kenji and Kaz quickly withdrew from the conversation.

Minato watched as they left, and then slowly turned to Yukari, who still had her mouth covered by Junpei, who only just noticed it was still there.

"Jeez, Yuka-tan. That was way too close." Junpei looked as if he was sweating bullets.

"Sorry. I forgot you two were keeping it a secret." Yukari looked disappointed.

Minato opened his phone to read a text message from Mitsuru.

'Would you like to eat lunch with me? I'll be in the student council room.'

He chuckled at the message before sending one of his own.

'sure ill be right there xx'

"That your... paramour?" Junpei had what he would call a 'sh*t-eating' grin on his face.

Minato gave him a look which told him exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I'll see you guys later." He nodded at the pair, with Junpei in particular laughing at Yukari, probably for her reaction to Kenji's question.

Minato saw another message come through his phone.

'If I may ask, what does 'xx' mean?'

She doesn't know what they mean? God she's so cute.

'ill tell u when i get there :) xx'

Minato approached the door to the student council room and entered it, trying to attract as little suspicion as possible.

He saw Mitsuru sat at the nearby table, her cheeks matching the shade of her hair.

"Hey you." Minato smirked at her.

Her cheeks continued to blush as Minato pulled up a chair alongside her and gently grabbed her hands, interlocking their fingers.

But there was something slightly off about her. She looked lost in her mind.

"Mitsuru? Is everything okay?" He rubbed his thumb along her hand.

"I'm sorry, Minato. I was just..." She trailed off from her sentence, which only worried Minato more. "I was thinking about telling my father about us."

Oh.

Minato's muscles tensed up after hearing her. He understood how nervous she was feeling, since she had assumed that she would have been married off to someone, much like her mother. She has since reassured Minato that it will likely never happen, but the fear still lingers.

Minato let go of her hand, which made Mitsuru somewhat pout, but only for a second as he reached around to her arm, so she could rest her head on his shoulder. She told him it was something she really enjoyed with him, and how calming it is for her.

"Would you like me to be there with you?"

She nodded her head. "I was thinking tonight. I will be contacting him from the control room, and I would appreciate if you were there."

Minato smiled and kissed her on her forehead, which made her lightly chuckle. "Of course I'll be there, Mitsu."

Minato's use of a nickname was a surprise to Mitsuru, as she lifted her head to face him with a puzzled look.

"Not a fan of it?" Minato slightly winced after seeing her expression.

"I just wasn't expecting it, 'Mina'." Her face turned to a smug manner.

Okay, that's the best thing I've heard from her.

They both shared a laugh before eating their lunch together. The smiles they shared were the only things they could pay attention to in the room, even though it was only the two of them.

Things were good.

Minato was happier than before.

Notes:

Right! This chapter came out significantly faster than chapter 10 did. I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to release chapter 12 before I go on hiatus, so keep an eye out for that. The hiatus will extend from either when I release chapter 12, or May 12th (depending which comes first) to June 10th. Once it ends, I'll have all the free time in the world. Now, this fic has both reached 3000 hits, and we are 1 kudos away from 100! And if you may or may not have noticed, I have turned this to a series! My brain has been cooking some future ideas and I want to get them out, so I figured this would be the best way possible. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy chapter 11!

9/21/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Minato spent the past few days in his bed, barely conscious. From what he remembered, Mitsuru was there most of the time, and when he woke up again on the 19th, he told her of his encounter with Strega. Their leader, Takaya, had encountered him when Minato was walking to the shrine. He tried to convince Minato of the benefits the Dark Hour brought. Minato chuckled at the idea, and that if Takaya had perhaps caught him before he joined S.E.E.S, he may have even considered it.

Today, he was downstairs with all of his dormmates, who were happy to see their leader up and healthy again. Shinjiro was planning on cooking a large meal, and Minato offered to help. Fuuka had joined in too, since Shinjiro had been teaching her how to cook herself.

They effortlessly prepared a feast for the dorm, with some of them coming into the kitchen, trying to check their progress. Shinjiro quickly shooed them away. Minato thought he was going to whack Junpei with the spatula with how close he got.

Fuuka eventually left the boys to prepare the table for everyone, which gave Shinjiro an opening.

"So, you told her yet kid?"

Minato sighed. The thought of him loving her was constantly on his mind, to the point where it was distracting him from so much.

"No, I haven't yet. I want it to be... special, I guess. Like I can prove it to her."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Alright, kid. But don't keep her waiting too long."

I'm not planning on it.

Everyone was sat at the table, even Koromaru, who was perched next to Ken. Mitsuru motioned Minato to a seat next to her, and he'd be a fool to pass it up.

"The two lovebirds sitting together, as expected." Junpei's comment was not ignored, as the couple both glared at him, and Minato swore he saw him shrink a few inches.

"She's been rubbing off on you, Arisato-san." Akihiko also caught a glare from the two of them.

He's not wrong about that, though.

"I think we're past family names at this point. You guys can call me Minato."

The group agreed, and the room was filled with chatter and laughter. But there were a few things he found odd.

As always, Aigis was intently staring at him, which expectedly made him uncomfortable.

But Ken was oddly quiet. Until Minato remembered why.

His mom's death was coming up.

According to Shinjiro, only he, Akihiko and Minato knew what exactly happened. Mitsuru knew something happened, but was not clued on what it was. All she knew was that it was enough to make Shinjiro leave.

Ken finished his food quietly before leaving the room. Minato and Shinjiro shared a glance at each other, knowing exactly why.

He's definitely not taking this well.

Minato frowned, but it was quickly removed by Mitsuru resting her head on his shoulder. She had taken it upon herself now to do it whenever she wanted now, which Minato didn't mind at all. If anything, he enjoyed it.

He could see Junpei make a gagging expression in the corner of his eye, but was swiftly elbowed in the ribs by Shinjiro.

He looked down at his girlfriend resting on his shoulder. Her right eye looked directly at his own. He felt as if she was staring into his soul.

They both smiled at each other before he rested his head on top of hers.

I love you...

9/24/2009 - Class 2-E - Lunch Time

"So, how's the missus?"

Junpei's incessant teasing was becoming less and less effective.

"Don't you have a girl of your own?" Yukari, thankfully, came to Minato's defense before he could make one of his own.

"Kinda, but that doesn't mean I can't stop bugging this guy about it. I mean who woulda thought you would be the first dude out of all of us to get with someone! And with Ki-" It was Yukari's turn to cover Junpei's mouth this time, as Minato shouted the same 'HEY!' as he did before.

"Junpei! Watch what you're saying!" Yukari whispered loudly.

"Dude, come on." Minato looked disappointed.

"sh*t man, sorry. No one noticed though sooo..."

Junpei's statement was false, as many people were eyeing the three of them (and Aigis).

Please god don't tell me they heard him say her name, or at least his attempt.

If they did, he wouldn't have known since no one had approached him.

"Anyway, back to the original topic of discussion. How's the missus?" Junpei was clearly not dropping it.

"I'm gonna tell her that you're calling her 'missus', you know?" Minato felt incredibly smug.

Instantly, Junpei's face went blank, as if he was too full of fear that his emotions simply broke, and Yukari bursted into laughter.

"But to answer your question, she's good. She had to do something with the fencing club, so that's why I'm here and not with her."

"Are you telling me we are second pickings? That we aren't your first choice?!" He held his hand over his heart and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

They all smiled and laughed.

Minato hadn't been so happy for so long.

9/27/2009 - Tartarus - Dark Hour

Today's Tartarus excursion was proving to be a productive one. Minato brought Shinjiro and Yukari (to balance between physical attacks and healing) and, to Aigis' continued dismay, Mitsuru.

The new block, Tziah, opened up recently, and despite almost being blinded by the absolute abundance of gold structures, the team was progressing well. More people kept on wandering into Tartarus, which only made Minato think if someone was throwing them inside here.

Most of the Shadows were proving to be no challenge for the 4 of them. Castor was incredibly strong, but it took a toll on Shinjiro, and Minato could swear he saw him cough up blood more often than not, but paired with Yukari and her healing, it was becoming a non-issue.

Some of the Shadows were becoming even more confusing appearance wise. Some looked like towers holding those balances they'd see as other Shadows, and some were just minotaurs. But Minato's arsenal of Persona's was growing stronger by the minute, and when alongside his teammates, he's ready to fight.

I'm no longer alone.

He would sometimes stay back and allow the others to fight and gain experience. However, he would spend most of this time watching Mitsuru fight.

She's so smooth with her attacks. Wait, did she just kick that Shadow?

God, if only that was m-

No no no no no, that is not what you should be thinking right now.

Throwing that thought as far away as he can, he continued to watch as his teammates fought.

Damn, she froze the Shadow complet- okay and now she's sitting on i- wait, did they just bounce?

The thought Minato tried to mentally block away from his mind shot back into his head.

Ah f*ck it, I can think about this.

Minato had let his fantasies run wild in his head, completely unaware that the fight had already finished.

"Mina?"

He snapped back to reality in an instant and saw Mitsuru looking at him concerned.

"You looked like you were lost in thought. Is everything okay?"

sh*t sh*t sh*t, don't say a thing about it, just say you were fusing Personas.

"I-I got pulled away to fuse Personas for some reason."

Her face remained at that expression.

"You really should tell me how you can even do that."

She bought it!

"How about after the next full moon operation? There's a lot to speak about."

She hummed and nodded in response before getting closer to him and pressed her lips against his own for a moment.

"What was that for?" Minato was flustered but he was able to keep it somewhat hidden.

"I just felt like it." She began to turn around. "And don't think I didn't see you admiring me."

f*ck! Excuse! Excuse!

"Uh... I mean... y-you did yourself last week." Stammering was not helping Minato's case, and neither was the blushing.

Mitsuru chuckled, seemingly proud of making her boyfriend that nervous.

I love her so much...

f*ck it.

"H-Hey, Mitsuru?" The room suddenly began spinning as she responded with a 'hm?'

He slowly got closer to her. "T-There's something I've b-been meaning to tell you."

She didn't say anything, but simply gazed into the eye he showed.

Before he could even get the first word out, he heard a yell.

"Come on you two!" It was Yukari.

f*ck.

The urge to punch the wall next to him became increasingly stronger. Even if their teammates did know of their relationship, he didn't want them to hear him confess his love.

"I'll tell you later. We should catch up with them." He quickly tried to deflect the topic, which left Mitsuru somewhat confused.

Some other time I guess...

The rest of the Tartarus exploration went smoothly. They avoided encounters with the Reaper (particularly due to Mitsuru, she refused to see Minato like that again), and they were able to both make it to the border floor, and they saved everyone who had wandered in. Minato had made sure during the expedition to never put Shinjiro and Ken together on the team, just in case something happened again.

Only just over a week until the next operation.

This was the most nervous Minato felt when getting closer to a full moon.

Don't die, Shinjiro.

Minato's Room - Dark Hour

It had been a while, but Minato had felt a presence begin to emerge in his room.

Pharos appeared and stood beside Minato's bed.

"Hey. It's been a while since we've talked. You've gotten a lot stronger." His soft tone, whilst some would perceive as comforting, put Minato on edge, but only slightly. He was more comfortable with him than Aigis.

"Yeah, I have. The same thing that happened in April happened last month, too." Minato recalled the day he almost died to the Reaper. It wasn't a brilliant experience, but it was because of that that he got with Mitsuru in the first place, so perhaps he should be grateful he was almost cleaved in two.

"I felt it. It felt like I was the one who tore it apart."

That's incredibly f*cking ominous.

"Really? That's interesting." Minato was really curious.

Was Pharos connected to Thanatos somehow?

"Nevermind that. There's danger in a week, and I feel like something will happen." His soft tone again did no favours for Minato.

That does nothing but worry me more, Pharos.

"Thanks for the heads up, Pharos." Minato nodded towards the small boy.

"I believe in you. The end doesn't seem so impossible to stop now, thanks to you."

Pharos then disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

Something's gonna happen, huh?

Minato could feel his heart getting faster.

f*ck. I don't think I'm sleeping tonight.

I can't let anyone die.

I can't.

10/4/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm Control Room - Dark Hour

The full moon has arrived, and Minato couldn't stop clutching his fists. If he had been any tighter, he may have snapped the hilt of his blade.

And of course, Shinjiro and Ken were not in the room.

Minato looked at Akihiko, who looked about as nervous as him.

Mitsuru also noticed his worry, since she opened his empty hand and interlocked her fingers with his.

"Thanks, Mitsu." He smiled earnestly at her. He really needed her right now.

She smiled back whilst rubbing her thumb on the top of his hand.

"I've found the Shadows! They're at the station!" Fuuka released Lucia and warned the team.

They're not gonna die.

I trust them.

After some time, the team made it to the monorail station, but Shinjiro and Ken were still nowhere to be found.

"Where's Aragaki-senpai and Amada-kun?" Yukari looked about as worried as Minato did.

"I don't know. But they're together." Minato saw no reason to hide what they were doing.

"What the hell? You know?!" Akihiko clearly wasn't told about Minato knowing.

"Yeah... I do." Despite how much Minato hoped things would be okay, there was still worry. "Fuuka, whilst we fight, can you try to find them?"

"Okay, Minato-kun!" She immediately summoned Lucia and began investigating.

The rest of S.E.E.S approached the entrance of the monorail station, and saw two Shadows. One was a small metal horse, and the other was a woman in a white dress.

"Those Shadows have the Fortune and Strength Arcana!" Fuuka shouted from behind.

"Mitsuru! You lead Junpei, Akihiko and Aigis and go for the Strength Shadow! I'll take Koromaru and Yukari!" Minato's orders echoed throughout the makeshift arena.

Mitsuru nodded and took the others with her to fight the Strength. Minato could hear her orders from the other side of the area, and recognised how similar they were to his own.

I guess we really are alike, huh.

The Fortune Shadow was not suited for combat, and jumped through all the attacks Minato's team threw at it. Koromaru and Cerberus tried to corner it, but it lept into the air, and brought down a giant wheel with it.

It looked oddly reminiscent of a roulette wheel but with no ball, and each section had a certain symbol on it. Minato summoned the god of wine, Dionysus, and attempted to launch a Ziodyne at the Shadow, but it was deflected by something.

The wheel spun and spun, and eventually landed on a red section with a heart symbol.

Suddenly, Minato could sense a wave of energy pulsing, but couldn't get out of the way in time. He fell to one knee and almost vomited blood. Luckily enough, Yukari was there to patch his wounds.

Those symbols must mean what the effect will be.

Guess we gotta be lucky.

Koromaru and Yukari summoned Cerberus and Io respectively, and sent a myriad of darkness and wind blasts at the Shadow, but it was completely unaffected.

But it's attention was directed away from Minato, how pounced from behind it and had thrust his blade into its spine, causing it to gallop away.

"Minato! Watch out!" He heard Mitsuru yell at him, and before he could register what he had to avoid, he was sent careening into the air, seemingly by the Strength Shadow.

He was able to regain his footing, but he could feel his bones crack and break. Yukari was becoming increasingly exhausted, so healing became more and more futile.

The Fortune Shadow ran towards the Strength Shadow, trying to be protected, but Junpei had seen it try to escape, so he sliced at its front legs, cleanly chopping it off.

It writhed on the ground, shrieking whatever noise it could make. Minato, despite his body screaming various profanities at him, ran towards the Fortune Shadow and pierced its eye (or at least where it would be), and it had finally stopped moving.

The Strength Shadow had felt its ally die, since it dashed in its direction and swept it up. Before anyone could do anything, the fake woman pushed the corpse into itself, and let out a roar.

"It's powered up! Watch out!" Fuuka tried to warn everyone to get out of the way, yet not everyone did.

Minato was lucky and was able to push himself out of the way, his bones screaming at him in the process. Most of his teammates were able to do the same, until he saw Mitsuru lying on the ground.

She wasn't dead, but seriously injured.

It didn't matter to him.

He lost all feeling in his bones as he charged at the Strength Shadow, his teammates yelling at him to stop.

He noticed a purple light on his arm. They were the same flames that consumed him in April and August, but now, they only resided in his left arm.

He felt faster.

He felt stronger.

He felt angrier.

You don't hurt the girl I love and live.

He effortlessly sidestepped the waves of energy it was sending towards him, and the second he touched the Shadow with his arm, it howled.

He jumped from the ground to a significantly higher height than someone should be able to, and grasped the head of the Shadow with the hand that is engulfed in purple flames.

It screamed and shrieked. It almost looked like it was begging.

But Minato didn't care.

He wanted it dead.

DEAD.

He raised his blade up high, and in a swift singular motion, severed its head from its shoulders completely.

The Shadow's body disintegrated, and Minato could hear faint yelling. But it was all silenced by the agonising sound in his head. He dropped his weapon and clutched his head tight.

Eventually, the sounds passed. All he could register was the feeling of fingers on his face.

He could recognise them from anywhere.

"Mina. What's wrong?" Mitsuru's textbook concerned look returned.

"I... I'm fine. I don't know what came over me, but I'm fine." He took several deep breaths, but it was cut short by Fuuka's shouting.

"I found them! They're at the Tatsumi Port Alleyway! But there's also someone else there too!"

Oh no...

No...

No no...

Minato was already running by the time everyone had recovered. He could hear Mitsuru and Akihiko shouting from behind him.

But he couldn't stop running.

BANG

No...

No...

Please god no...

Minato pushed his legs to their absolute limit, but he needed more. He needed to be faster.

BANG

Please...

Please...

Please be okay...

Please be o-

Blood.

But not the blood that showed up from the Dark Hour.

This was actual blood.

It reddened the already burgundy coat.

It spilled everywhere.

It was on his hands.

His arms.

Minako...

He failed in his vow.

His promise to himself.

His promise to never let someone die when he could.

He failed.

Failed.

His mouth moved.

But he couldn't hear it.

He couldn't hear the words.

Not from him.

Not from anyone.

He couldn't talk.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't blink.

All he could do...

Was nothing.

But he could feel...

EVERYTHING.

The blood.

The limp body.

The bright green light.

Everything reminded him.

Of her.

The one he could not save.

The one who needed him.

The one who he needed.

And he failed.

Just like now.

He could feel everything.

It all hit him at once.

The feeling of metal smashing against his ribs.

The feeling of nothing in his stomach.

The feeling of nothing in his soul.

This is his punishment.

His penance.

He brings death to the people he cares about.

So this thing, this being...

This CURSE...

It takes.

It takes and it takes.

It took his parents.

It took his sister.

And now it took him.

He doesn't deserve to live.

Four people are dead.

Because he cared.

It's all his fault.

He could've been faster.

He should've been faster.

He should've been here.

He should've taken the bullet.

But he didn't.

Because he wasn't strong enough.

And he brought his curse to them.

He felt tears coming.

But he didn't deserve to cry.

Crying means he had no way to stop it.

He did.

Everytime they spoke.

He had a way to stop.

I deserve death...

But not a merciful one.

He brought about pain to everyone he knows.

He killed four people.

Because he cared.

Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

The dorm was quiet, despite everyone being here. Well, everyone barring Minato, Ken, and...

Mitsuru swore she heard a yell in the early hours of the day. She knew who it came from, but she was still angry.

No one had seen Ken since that day, and no one had seen Minato leave his room at all. Yukari has caught Aigis trying to break into Minato's room a few times, but Mitsuru had half a mind to let her. She needed him to talk. To explain.

"I don't know what to do." She could hear Fuuka's soft voice from the couch infront of her. "Ken-kun hasn't returned since. And Minato-kun is..."

Destroying himself.

Everyone knew what she was going to say.

"They were close. They bonded through their shared trauma. It's no surprise that he feels like this." Akihiko's voice had a mixture of emotions, too many to discern.

"He hasn't been in class at all. And I haven't noticed anything change here." Yukari's voice was trembling. "I don't think he's left his room at all."

"What?! So you're telling me he's just letting himself die in there?!" The increase in Junpei's volume was not helping anyone. "We gotta get him out. We need to-"

"No." Mitsuru's voice stopped everyone. "We will not do anything. I will. If what you are saying is true, then it will be better for only me to speak to him."

Despite the anger she feels, she still loved him.

"Now." Mitsuru straightened her back. "What should we do regarding Amada?"

"I know where he is. He just needs time." Akihiko looked conflicted. He just lost his best friend because Ken wanted revenge. But was it truly Ken's fault?

"Very well then."

The silence in the room hung for way too long. There were noises coming from upstairs, presumably Minato.

"We can't let this go on. Mitsuru-senpai, talk to him tomorrow. I heard him yell last night, and I've been hearing banging on the walls." Yukari looked truly frightened.

"I will. Tomorrow, I want no one to come upstairs until I say so. If Ken arrives during that time, tell him the situation."

She brushed aside the anger inside her for a moment.

I will save you, Mina.

10/7/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

Mitsuru stood outside Minato's door. Her emotions were swirling inside of her, and she was truly worried. She thought back to July, just after the full moon operation. The situation was similar.

But it was also extremely different.

Minato didn't just lose a friend, he lost someone he could relate to. Their past trauma is what connected them, and now Shinjiro was gone, and Minato feels alone with his pain.

Mitsuru raised her hand to knock on the door, but she hesitated. She pressed her ear on the door, trying to make out some noise.

She heard nothing.

Her heart was beating faster.

Was she too late?

She couldn't wait any longer.

"Minato?"

There was nothing.

"Minato, can you open the door?"

Still nothing.

She took a deep breath.

"Mina. Please. Open the door." She spoke extremely softly, holding back the urge to cry.

She stood for a moment at the closed door. She was prepared to kick it down if she had to.

But it wasn't necessary, since the door slowly opened, revealing the bluenette behind it.

He was a mess. His eyes couldn't hold themselves open, and his hair is everywhere. The clothes he wore were crinkled and untidy, and slightly torn. The bed behind him looked as if it was ravaged, and there was not a single ray of sunlight in his room.

Oh, Mina.

She continued to hold back the urge to hug him and cry.

"Why are you here?" His voice was broken and raspy.

"Because you haven't come out in days. You need help, Minato." She quickly replied in a hushed tone.

"I don't deserve it." He tried to shut the door on her but she stopped it.

"Enough." Mitsuru's voice went cold. "I've been in pain these last few days and I needed you there as much as you needed me. We lost a friend and you weren't there to say goodbye!" She got louder. "Why weren't you there, Minato?! Why weren't you there for us?! For me?!"

"BECAUSE I'M THE REASON HE'S DEAD!" Minato snapped. "I KNEW KEN WANTED TO GET REVENGE ON SHINJIRO, YET I DID NOTHING TO STOP HIM! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN FASTER! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRONGER! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME TAKING THE SHOT, BECAUSE EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT DIES! I'M THE REASON HE DIED! I DIDN'T GO BECAUSE I DIDN'T DESERVE TO!" Minato was on the verge of breaking down. "WHEN I CARE ABOUT SOMEONE, DEATH TAKES THEM FROM ME! IT HAPPENED TO MY PARENTS! TO MY SISTER! TO SHINJIRO! AND IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!"

Mitsuru was in utter shock. She looked into his eyes and saw pain. Unimaginable pain.

"Every moment since he died, I keep on remembering the night I lost my family. But it was only at the moment I held my sister. I could feel everything in that moment, but it was different. It wasn't Minako."

Oh...

His voice went to a whisper. "It was you. Every moment I've spent since that day was spent constantly replaying that in my head. And everytime it happened, it was you I was holding." His voice got quieter and quieter as he held back every tear forming.

"But why were you pushing us away?! Pushing me away?! I need you, Minato!" Despite his low volume, Mitsuru raised her own.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I CAN'T LIVE IF YOU'RE GONE! I'M PUSHING YOU AWAY BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I CANNOT STAND THE THOUGHT OF YOU DEAD BECAUSE OF ME! DEATH DOESN'T CARE! IT ONLY TAKES! IT'S TAKEN EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT, SO IT WILL TAKE YOU TOO!"

Did... he just...

Minato fell to the floor, holding his legs in his arms. "I don't deserve to live. Four people died because of me. Because I was too selfish." Mitsuru could tell he was trying to hold back his tears, but was failing.

Mitsuru couldn't think of a response. She just looked at the boy infront of her, completely and utterly broken.

"You should just forget about me. That way, you'll live." He couldn't hold back anymore, as a tear began to fall from his eye.

Mitsuru couldn't hear any more of it. She rushed to him and held him tightly into her chest, quietly sobbing.

"Mina..." She sniffled as she tried to speak. "I'll never abandon you. I couldn't imagine my life without you."

She could hear a muffled noise from her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Mina. But you are completely wrong about what you deserve. You deserve to live. To love. No one died because of you. Not a single person."

The muffled noise got louder.

"And I do not care about Death taking me. Because it won't. Not when I have you. If it does come, then we will fight it together, and we will win."

"...why? Why do you care about me?" His voice was trembling

"Because I love you, Minato."

Those words broke whatever dam had been built up, and for the first time in 10 years, Minato cried. Everything he kept inside for 10 long and painful years.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He couldn't say anything else as the tears overwhelmed him.

Mitsuru hushed him as he let the tears fall. This was something he needed.

He was afraid of love, but he needed it. He was starved of it.

When the tears had stopped, Minato released himself from Mitsuru's grasp.

She looked him in the eye and saw how bloodshot and puffy it was.

"I'm going to get you some food. You haven't eaten in days and I'm really worried." She rubbed him along his arm, over his scars, but he didn't flinch. "And then you are going to take a shower."

She didn't want to be alone that night. And she was sure that he didn't either.

"And when you're finished, I'm taking you to my room so you can sleep. You need the rest."

His eyes widened as she finished that sentence, but he nodded in agreement. He was way too tired. And he needed her.

After some more time they spend in each others arms, Mitsuru left him so she could get him something.

She went to the lounge and saw everyone. Yukari and Fuuka had tears in their eyes, so they must have heard the two of them.

Fuuka ran into the kitchen and came out with a small box. "Aragaki-senpai taught me how to make rice balls, and now I can make them on my own." A few more tears fell from her face.

"Thank you, Yamagishi." She smiled at the box.

"How is he?" Akihiko looked like he had been at the very least misty eyed.

"He's... struggling. But he's going to get better."

Ken was sat next to Akihiko with Koromaru on his lap. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." He stifled a few tears.

"No. It isn't. The blame purely goes on Strega and Takaya. No one else. Not on you, not on Minato. No one else." Mitsuru's voice shook slightly, but she remained composed. "Anyway, I need to take this to him. Thank you. All of you."

They all nodded in unison as Mitsuru went back upstairs to see the bluenette, who still hadn't moved from when he fell to the floor.

"Yamagishi made these for you." She held out the rice balls to him.

Minato took one and slowly bit into it. His energy was low, so he needed to be careful. "It's good. I can tell Shinjiro taught her." Another tear fell from his face.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

10/8/2009 - Mitsuru's Room - Morning

Peaceful. That was the best word Minato could describe his sleep. He wasn't disturbed by nightmares or flashbacks, nor the appearance of Pharos. It was peaceful.

He opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of Mitsuru sleeping blissfully on his chest, her crimson hair spread across his body.

He smiled for a moment, enjoying what he was a part of.

Until he remembered why.

No matter what Mitsuru said to him, a part of Minato still believes he was the cause behind Shinjiro's death. And he was scared.

For that same curse will take Mitsuru too.

But he wouldn't let it. He'd easily sacrifice his life for hers, even if it meant going against his promise. He said that in the heat of the moment, not wanting to hurt her anymore than he already had. She was too important to him, and to many others. She was the true leader of S.E.E.S, and the heiress to the Kirijo Group. She had a future ahead of her.

Whilst he had nothing without her.

I won't let her die.

I swear it.

Mitsuru shuffled in her sleep, her hair tickling Minato's torso, and the slight movements he made awoke her from her slumber.

"M-Mina..?" She tiredly looks up at his silver eyes.

"Mornin', sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?" He noticed a large smile on her face.

Mitsuru rubbed her eyes with the arm not currently resting on Minato's sternum. "Despite the new circ*mstances, yes, I did."

"Good. I did too." He gave her a smile of his own.

Minato turned to the clock on Mitsuru's nightstand.

It read 5.55am.

He didn't want to move. He wanted to stay in bed with her for as long as time would allow it. But they had to, unless they be subjected to endless amounts of teasing from their friends.

He was sure no one would be roaming around the dorm at this time. Unless if someone were to check on him...

f*ck.

"Hey, Mitsu?" His fingers were tapping on her head anxiously. "Hypothetically speaking, what are the chances Aigis went to check on me during the night?"

"I'm not sure what you... oh..." The realisation hit Mitsuru like a truck as both of her eyes widened in horror.

"And, also hypothetically speaking, what are the chances she went to the others after seeing I was not in my room?"

The fury in her suddenly appeared. "If she said a word to any of them I will-"

There were knocks on her door.

"Looks like it's no longer hypothetical." Minato sighed as the smile dropped from his face.

"We don't know that! Maybe it's Yukari or Yamagishi?" She whispered to him as if whoever was at her door hadn't already heard them speaking.

"Kirijo-san? Minato-san is currently not in his room. Is he with you by any chance? Yukari-san and Yamagishi-san were curious as well, so they are here with me." The muffled voice of Aigis was much louder than what was necessary, meaning the other occupants of the dorm must have surely heard her.

"That f*cking android!" The sudden curse word full of vitriol from Mitsuru made Minato recoil his head back.

Holy sh*t, I have just heard her say f*ck.

Composing himself after witnessing such a historic event (at least in his eyes), he chuckled. "I really must be rubbing off on you."

She shot up from the bed, releasing her grasp from Minato (despite how much he didn't want her to), and opened the door to see not only the girls, but the rest of the dorm stood outside her room.

Junpei caught a glimpse of Minato still in her bed. "Yo, dude! Nice!" He put up both of his thumbs, and Minato could do nothing but put his hands to his face in both embarrassment for him and Junpei, since he's probably now on Mitsuru's execution list again. Akihiko did the same thing.

"I have found Minato-san. His reason for being here is presumably due to them initiating coitus with one another." Those words combined with Aigis' robotic voice sent a shiver of fear down Minato's spine.

He now shot up from Mitsuru's bed and pulled her aside before she tore the robot apart herself so he could speak to their friends (even though he would have perhaps preferred it). "Okay, that's enough." He put on his most serious tone possible. "Firstly, we did nothing here but sleep. Secondly, what we do here is no one's business but our own. Aigis, I swear you have been told this already but no checking up on me during the night." He considered changing his lock for a moment, although it would do little in the long term. "Now, I would recommend you all leave before I reconsider pulling Mitsuru aside."

As if it were an order from the Emperor himself, everyone quickly scattered from the hallway (apart from Aigis, who took her time going to the lounge).

Minato turned to gauge Mitsuru's emotions. Her blush obviously meant she was embarrassed, the crossed arms combined with the tight grip on her upper arm clearly meant anger, but there was a look on her face similar to the time where she admired him whilst in the bath.

She does like it when I'm authoritative.

He pulled her in to embrace her, aiming to at least quell the anger that could boil over at any point. But it didn't stop him from making a sarcastic comment. "That couldn't have been better."

Whilst in the embrace, she kicked his shin, causing him to lose balance slightly. "This isn't something to joke about, Mina."

"Perhaps. But it makes it easier for us. Means we don't have to tip toe around them next time."

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him. "Next time?"

"O-Oh. I mean u-unless you don't want t-to." Minato couldn't believe how flustered he got.

Mitsuru couldn't help herself but laugh. "I do want to."

Minato, realising that she intended to catch him off guard, pulled her in for a kiss, aiming to do the same. Mitsuru did not expect it, yet she did not pull away. If anything, she pushed forward, introducing her tongue to his lips. Minato could feel her gently lick his lips, so he obliged her and entwined her tongue with his own. Their mouths wrestled with each other, determined not to break their kiss. They had done it for so long that it was somewhat tiring.

Eventually, their mouths parted from one another, although they were both longing for it to continue.

"I love you, Mitsu."

"I love you too, Mina."

Class 2-E - Lunch Time

Minato was sat at his desk with Junpei, Yukari and Fuuka all surrounding him.

Goddammit.

No one had said anything, but it was obvious what they wanted to say to him.

Eventually, Junpei was the one to break the silence. "So. How was she?"

Minato, in response, hit Junpei's water bottle off of his desk hard enough that it hit the wall beside them that was about 10 feet from them.

Yukari figured it was time for her to get involved. "Junpei, don't be like that. Buuuuuuut..." She turned towards Minato. "Did you two have fun?"

Luckily for Yukari, she didn't have anything out for Minato to knock away, so he settled with scoffing as a response. "Did you not listen or do you not remember me saying we only slept?"

"Are you suuuuure?" Junpei placed his water bottle back on Minato's desk, so he swatted it right back to where it first landed.

"Yes. I'm sure."

Junpei focused on Minato's deadpanned face. "Dammit, you aren't lying."

Everyone laughed around him, but Minato couldn't. Something had been in his mind ever since the last full moon operation.

Only one Shadow left.

There has to be more to it than just that.

What about Tartarus? What will happen to it?

Something's wrong.

And Aigis. She's been watching me even more lately.

And the look on her face. It's off.

Minato sighed and remembered the day of the last full moon Shadow that they will need to fight.

Of course it's in November.

Iwatodai - After School

Mitsuru and Minato left Gekkoukan to return to the dorm together, as happy as the couple can be. There was, however, a point where they stopped in the middle of the pavement as Minato looked into the distance.

Towards the Moonlight Bridge.

His birthday is in a month. But also the day of his family's death.

It'll be exactly 10 years ago.

He probably won't want to celebrate his birthday. And I cannot blame him.

But I'll be there for him.

She noticed Minato's smile fall as he gazed upon the bridge, so she pulled him into her embrace, noticing how shook he was.

Crying must have helped him. Mitsuru noticed how Minato has been considerably more emotional ever since last night.

She heard short breaths coming from her side, so she slowly rubbed his back and breathed slowly, enough so that he could notice the rising motions of her chest to guide him.

He pulled away slightly but not letting go of her waist, whilst she did not remove her arms from his shoulders.

"S-Sorry, Mitsu. I just get more panicked when it gets closer to..." He trailed off from his words.

"Don't apologise. You have nothing to apologise for." She noticed water building up in his eyes, so she wiped them away with her sleeve. "I'll always be at your side, Mina. Everyone has been relying on you to lead us. To be an example for us. But you should rely on us too. On me."

He was able to produce a smile through the tears in his eyes. He knew he was no longer alone.

10/12/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Morning

Minato came down the dorm stairs towards the lounge, not looking at any of the girls as he passed them on their floor. He and Mitsuru had begun to sleep in her room together ever since the 8th, and despite it being against dorm regulations, neither he or Mitsuru cared. No one in the dorm voiced their disapproval, but Minato could feel the smirks they were all sending his way.

He approached the couch, only to find Akihiko, Ken and Koromaru all together.

"Hey, Arisato-senpai? Can we talk to you?" Ken looked up at Minato with a sad look.

"Yeah, sure. But I do recall saying you can call me Minato."

"O-Oh. Yes, sorry Ar- Minato-senpai." He quickly corrected himself.

"I'm taking him to Hagakure, and we want you to come with us. Unless you are doing something with Mitsuru, of course." Akihiko had the same smirk on his face the girls gave him when he left Mitsuru's room.

"No, we haven't got anything planned for today. And besides, you guys are my friends, so of course I'll go with you."

"Great. I'm buying, but don't think about buying 40 bowls or something ridiculous." They all chuckled as they left for Hagakure.

Hagakure Bowl - Midday

The trio (plus Koromaru) were all sat at the counter and had received their orders. Minato noticed Ken looked distressed for the entire trip there.

He probably thinks I resent him.

I'm pissed, yes. But that's not his fault. I'm sure anyone in his situation would have felt similar. Hell, I'd do the same if I found out someone killed my family.

Minato waited for Ken to speak first. He didn't want to interrupt any internal processing he was doing.

"Minato-senpai?" He finally did as Minato was eating a mouthful of ramen. "I'm really sorry. I understand if you hate me for what happened, since I know you and Aragaki-senpai were close."

Minato noticed Akihiko watching him. But there was no resentment from him. If Akihiko didn't hate Ken for what happened, why should Minato?

"Ken. What happened wasn't your fault. The blame falls on Strega." And me. "I'm not sure if you know, but you and I are similar regarding our past. I lost my family when I was 7 thanks to what happened at the Kirijo Group, and I'm sure if Kouetsu Kirijo were still around that I would've wanted to kill him myself too."

"Really? How'd you move on from it?" Ken looked up with widened eyes.

Minato sighed. "I haven't. I've been living with the guilt from it for nearly 10 years now. There's a lot that came after it which I won't be getting into, but what I want you to know is that whilst we are similar in that regard, you have people around to help you still get through it. I didn't."

"Oh... I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't know." Ken looked down at his food, disappointed in himself.

"If you didn't know, then you shouldn't be apologising. But just know that you have people who are there for you. Everyone at the dorm will be there for you. You aren't alone anymore."

Ken smiled. "Thanks, Minato-senpai." Suddenly, Ken began to exude an aura around him, but it seemed as if only Minato could notice. It eventually calmed down, and Minato could sense something different about him.

He looked at Akhiko, and realised he too had this same aura.

"Kala-Nemi." Minato muttered.

Both Akihiko and Ken responded with a 'Huh?'.

"Your Persona. It evolved." He pointed towards Ken, and then towards Akihiko. "Your Persona has too. It's Caesar."

"How can you tell?" Ken questioned.

"Must be a wild card thing. When did you get Caesar, Akihiko?" Minato turned to him, and saw a glimpse of sadness.

"It was after the assembly for Shinji." A wave of guilt washed over Minato.

"I... I'm sorry for not going to that. It brought up a lot of bad memories." And new ones too.

"It's okay. You've been dealing with a lot, so I can't be upset at you for that." Akihiko patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, senpai." Minato gave Akihiko a half smile before returning to his ramen.

"I'm still surprised you can tell our Persona's changed." Ken said before slurping up a mouthful of ramen.

"Like I said, must come with being a wild card. And that reminds me, I promised Mitsuru I'd tell her about my power. I've learnt a lot about it since I awoke to it back in April."

"How about you tell all of us? I myself have been curious." Akihiko was barely able to make a coherent sentence with the ramen in his mouth.

"Sure. Why not. Does tonight work for you two?"

They both nodded.

"Okay good. I'll tell Fuuka to gather everyone. After I've said everything, we'll go to Tartarus, since a new block has opened up." Akihiko was about to ask why he knew that, but Minato gave him a look implying that it came with the power.

Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

As promised, Minato told his team everything about his power and the Velvet Room. He mentioned how he finds Personas, and how he takes them to Igor and Elizabeth to fuse into stronger Personas, and so on.

Once the conversation finished, the looks he received were nothing short of utter confusion.

"So you're telling me there's this bald guy and a blonde who fuse Personas together that you randomly find after we fight Shadows?" Junpei had the same face he had when a teacher was going on about any topic in class.

"That's about the gist of it. I also help Elizabeth out from time to time. She's really interested about our world."

Next to him, Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "And what do you help her with, Minato?" The ice in her voice made everyone shudder.

"I-I just take her around town! She lets me fuse better Personas when I do!" Minato had pure horror in his eyes.

"Good." She gave him a satisfied expression before leaning into him.

"Anyways..." Minato hastily tried to change the topic. "I also get better Personas when improving my bonds with people. Every person has a tarot card unique to them, and once my bond with them has strengthened enough, I can fuse a new Persona."

"Wait, really?" Junpei leaned in, intrigued by this new information. "What's mine?"

"You don't have one." Minato saw Junpei sulk. "But I can point out four in this room. Each of the girls has one, and then we as a group have one too."

"And why is it only us, Minato-kun?" Yukari asks with a small accusatory tone.

"Don't ask me, not everyone I speak to has one. As of now, I have 20." Minato could feel the stare he was receiving from Mitsuru

"Who are you most bonded with, Minato-senpai?" Ken asked whilst he brushed Koromaru.

"I'm not sure if I need to answer that." He looked down at his girlfriend, who looked up at him with a smug grin on her face. "Anyway, we have some Tartarus exploring to do."

Tartarus - Dark Hour

The team were progressing through the shifting floors of Tartarus at a steady rate. The ornate golden walls and floors of the Tziah section was strangely beautiful. A large contrast to what Tartarus represented.

The team (consisting of Aigis, Ken, and Mitsuru) wandered the bright hallways before a horde of Mayas appeared in front of them.

Aigis let loose a barrage of bullets in their direction, killing a considerable amount. Many of them did weave their way past the attack, at which point Ken blasted them with holy light from Kala-Nemi, eliminating what was left of them.

Before they could proceed further, a legion of Minotaurs appeared from the disintegrated corpses. A few of them charged forwards, yet everyone effortlessly dodged their attack.

Minato and Mitsuru capitalised on this error and impaled the Minotaurs behind them before rushing towards the rest. Minato summoned Siegfried and together, they slashed at the beasts surrounding them, clearing a path for Mitsuru. She summoned Penthesilea and laid out a sheet of ice on the floor, freezing the Shadows still. She skated towards Minato with ease before gripping his wrist, spinning around and around before he let go, sending her high into the air to unleash a hailstorm of ice from above. At the same time, Minato summoned Titania and blasted a heavy gust of wind, breaking the ice they were stood on and fired the shards towards the Shadows, piercing and slicing their flesh. And to top it all off, Minato caught Mitsuru perfectly in his arms as the last Shadow fell, signifying their victory. He let her down, but not before giving her a quick peck on the lips, hoping to see another blush from her (which he was successful at), and turned towards Ken and Aigis. Ken was dusting himself off, rubbing at any goo the Shadows left behind, whilst Aigis looked intently at Minato, but somewhat differently than her norm.

Minato was growing suspicious of Aigis, as he caught her eyeing at him, but in a different way she normally did. Usually, it was as if she was gazing directly into his soul, which did irk him. However, that behaviour has shifted, where she looks as if she is preparing for something to appear from him.

He first noticed this look after the October full moon Shadows fell, when he had tapped into some sort of power. The power had the same feeling to when he summoned Thanatos back in April and August. The difference being that during those instances, he was running on pure instinct. This time, he was fully conscious of what he was doing. He could feel the fire burning within him. He could feel it burning on him.

And Aigis was frozen when it fell, somewhat in shock.

She stares at him with that same expression, yet it is dulled. But there is also a look of concern.

Was it for him? Or for the others?

Minato ignored the blue eyes burning holes into his back, and prepared to continue on.

Until he heard a noise.

Chains.

"We've got to move, NOW!" Minato shouted at Ken and Aigis behind him, as he saw Mitsuru with a traumatised look on her face.

"What's going on, senpai?!" Ken ran alongside him; his voice shaking.

"It's the Reaper! We fought it before but it was way too close!" Minato turned around and saw a blood stained cloak.

The demon returned. And it was purely focused on Minato.

It raised one of it's long revolvers at him, and fired, but was pushed quickly out of the way by Mitsuru.

"Yamagishi! The Reaper is on us! We need an exit, now!" Mitsuru ordered at Fuuka whilst Minato hastily ran behind them all.

"You passed the exit already! It's now through the Reaper!" She was yelling into their minds, and a wave of worry had covered Minato.

"f*ck!" This is exactly like last time. "We've got to kill it again!"

"NO! You almost died last time, Minato!" Mitsuru yelled before quickly avoiding a stray bullet.

"We're stronger this time!" He turned to Ken and Aigis, still running. "Ken! You stay on the backline and heal us! You see someone get hit with a fatal shot, use Samarecarm!"

"Will it work?!" Ken had tears in his eyes. He was scared.

"Yes! It works when reviving someone who was killed by a Shadow!" Minato reassured Ken before running down another hallway, hitting a dead end.

"f*ck!" He quickly turned to Aigis. "Aigis! Use whatever buff skills you have on Mitsuru and I! We can hit the hardest!"

The look on her face spelled doubt, but Minato had to trust she would.

The demon emerged from the shadows, and was already prepared to fire.

"Fuuka! Send everyone up here if things look bad!" He shouted an order within his mind, and received an 'Okay!' in response.

The demon fired from both revolvers, yet it hit nothing, as everyone had separated from each other the moment it appeared.

Minato could feel a surge of power within him. Aigis must have used Tarukaja on him.

"Siegfried, Brave Blade!" An orange skinned soldier appeared infront of him and sent a large slice at the Reaper, knocking it back. Minato had to suppress coughing up blood.

That really takes a lot to use...

He could hear several gunshots to his left, as Aigis had taken the demon's attention. To his right, Mitsuru let off a heavy Bufudyne right in it's face.

Minato felt his ribs reconnect inside of him after he heard a 'Diarahan!' behind him.

The Reaper was taking significant damage, yet something was wrong.

It hasn't used Megidolaon yet.

Minato was worried. There must be a reason why it hadn't used it's strongest attack yet. During their first encounter, Megidolaon was the first attack it used.

So why wasn't it using it now?

Minato turned to his left, and saw Aigis stood still, before she spoke.

"Initiating Orgia Mode!"

Orgia Mode? She mentioned this a while ago. She gets stronger and her attacks are more lethal, but after some time...

She overheats and becomes immobile.

"AIGIS, DON'T!" It was too risky to rely on a strategy like that, yet she didn't listen.

She activated Orgia Mode and began to charge at the Reaper at lightning speeds, kicking and letting loose a barrage of ammo. But the Reaper was hitting back hard, so Ken had to heal her in order to keep her alive.

They were on a ticking clock. If Aigis overheats before the Reaper dies, then it could be over.

"Mitsuru! We need to kill the Reaper now!"

She nodded at him and together, they rushed at the demon.

Yet it was backing away, sidestepping their attacks.

It was buying time!

Aigis was still relentlessly wailing on the Reaper, yet she was the only one doing damage, as it was separating themselves from the rest.

None of their attacks would hit. Aigis had to finish it.

But then she stopped.

And she seized.

"Body overheating. Ending Orgia Mode." She stood motionless, ready to be taken out by the Reaper.

Yet it turned away to face the others.

It raised it's revolvers again.

And fired.

Minato fell onto his back, but he didn't feel any pain.

But there was a weight pressing on his chest.

He looked down, and saw her.

Bleeding.

"No..." He held her in his arms as she bled out. "MITSURU!"

She was not moving.

"KEN! USE WHATEVER HEALING SPELL YOU HAVE!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, but then he remembered the Reaper was still behind him.

Yet it did nothing. It stood still, much like Aigis was.

"I... I can't! I can't heal!" He was too exhausted. He kept healing Aigis due to her running in with Orgia Mode.

"Goddammit!" He shook her again, yet she did not move. "FUUKA! SEND EVERYONE UP HERE, NOW!"

"We're going as quick as we can!"

He turned back to face the Reaper with tears in his eyes, and it was still motionless.

Was it waiting?

He turned back to Mitsuru, watching the pool of blood forming around her.

"No! MITSURU! PLEASE!"

Why didn't I think of bringing a healing Persona...

She didn't move.

"No..."

It came true... Death only takes...

His tears fell onto her face, running down her cheek.

"Ken... I need you to take her and run. I don't care what it takes. I'll buff you so you can carry her and run fast enough." He gritted his teeth as his tears continued to fall.

Minato pulled out his Evoker and summoned Rangda, using all of the Kaja skills to buff Ken.

But he didn't move.

"KEN! TAKE HER AND GO!"

He snapped out of his stupor and, despite his small frame, was able to carry Mitsuru and hastily sprint out of the room, with the Reaper doing nothing to stop him.

He faced the demon, and felt a fire burning within him.

It was the same fire that he used against the Strength Shadow.

He wanted to tear the Reaper apart with his bare hands.

Purple flames began to envelop Minato, yet he felt no pain.

He felt power.

His sword bursted into a violet explosion, before reappearing in his hand.

It had a sharp edge, and was serrated near the grip.

A scabbard appeared on the left side of his hip.

This was...

HIS.

"You tried to take her from me once." Minato's voice changed to something completely different. Something deeper and angrier. "You tried to take her again."

"If you refuse to die, then I'll kill you over, and over, and over again. Until you wish you did."

The Reaper roared as three bright lights appeared around it.

Heat Riser.

It fired an Agidyne at Minato.

But it missed.

Minato was faster than the human eye could comprehend.

Faster than it could comprehend.

He raised his left hand, and out came a beam of darkness, blowing the demon into the wall.

He dashed towards it and slashed at the demon like an animal. His sword tore at its cloak like it was flesh, and it bled just the same.

Minato jumped back as it pulled itself out of the wreckage and fired a Ziodyne at him, yet he cleaved it in two, suffering no damage in the process.

He dashed at a speed no one could follow, and after leaping onto it's cloak, he pressed his empty palm onto the Reaper's skull.

And it howled.

It seized in pain.

Minato leapt off of it, and whilst he was till in the air, he pulled his left arm back.

He whispered.

"Megidolaon."

A colossal white beam was shot from Minato's hand and incinerated the Reaper on the spot, leaving nothing behind.

He stared at the empty space where it was, and felt the surge of power leave him.

He turned to his side and saw Aigis with a terrified look on her face.

He wanted to tear that android apart.

He almost did.

Until he heard Fuuka.

"Minato-kun! Ken-kun found us and brought Mitsuru with him! Yukari-chan healed her and she woke up!"

He let out a sigh of relief.

But he still wanted to tear Aigis apart.

"Aigis!" He stomped towards her. "What the hell were you thinking?! Using Orgia Mode when we almost had it?! We almost lost Mitsuru because of you!"

"Orgia Mode proved to be the best way I would deal damage towards the Reaper." Her using a single tome pissed him off even more.

"BUT YOU GOT HIT SO MUCH, KEN HAD TO USE ALL OF HIS HEALING ON YOU! YOU ALMOST GOT MITSURU KILLED, AIGIS! YOU ALMOST GOT US ALL KILLED!"

He could hear footsteps behind him, and saw the team, barring Ken, Yukari and Mitsuru, look at him with horrified eyes.

It was only then he noticed his blade (which had changed back somehow) was pushed up against her throat. He pulled away slowly, keeping his stare on her.

"We're done for today." He turned away from her with a disgusted look and walked past his teammates without looking at them in the eye.

He hated her.

He hated Aigis.

Since the day he met her, she caused him nothing but stress and pain.

He wanted her gone.

Hopefully after the next full moon, Ikutsuki takes her back to the Kirijo Group. I want her gone.

Then Minato was hit with a sense of familiarity.

He remembered seeing that blue light she gave off during Orgia Mode.

He definitely had seen her before.

And that only made him hate her more.

Why do I know her?

Notes:

And that is Chapter 12 of How It Came To Be! I want to thank everyone who has taken their time to read this. It is genuinely incredible to me that this fanfic has gained this amount of attention. At the time of publishing this chapter, we reached 100 kudos, and we are so close to 4000 hits! Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all. Now, and I hate to say it, this will be the last chapter I post until June 10th. My exams begin in a few days and I need all of my energy to be focused on them. But I can assure you than when they finish, I'm going to be spending a LOT of time on this, and then I'll put my effort into releasing extra parts too!

Anyways, I've kept you all waiting long enough. As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 12! I'll see you all in June!

Notes:

SURPRISE DROP!

Betcha weren't expecting this to come up!

So it turns out I've had some time between studying and exams, so I decided to work on the next chapter. This was a chapter I have been excited about writing since the beginning, and I like to think I have done it well (It is a beefy one, over 7000 words :)). Regarding exams, they have been going well (apart from one but that doesn't matter now). I've got 4 more to go and I've got a week off from today so I might be able to get another chapter out. So the hiatus is ending early!

Anyways, It's been 2 weeks since I last updated this so I'll let you all get to reading the new chapter. I just wanna say thank you all so much for checking it out, we were almost at 4000 hits before chapter 12, and now we are almost at 5000! It is actually insane to me that a lot of people checked this fic out and I hope I have done it well! Now, I'll let you go and I hope you all enjoy chapter 13!

10/17/2009 - Iwatodai Dorm - Evening

To say the atmosphere in the dorm was tense would be an understatement. No one was speaking to Minato, which was understandable. He didn't even sleep in bed with Mitsuru the past few days, which he did miss the most. She was somewhat understanding, but was also disappointed in him. And he deserved it.

I did threaten Aigis...

She had always made him uncomfortable, but he never made it a problem for the rest of the team.

I should apologise...

The exams went by and not one person spoke of what happened in Tartarus. Perhaps he should apologise. This wasn't what the team needed. Not when they were so close.

He came back to the dorm to see everyone in various areas of the bottom floor. Aigis was with the other second years on the couch, Ken was playing with Koromaru, Akihiko was tending to his boxing gloves, and Mitsuru was silently reading.

Yet everything went silent when he entered the dorm.

He turned and slowly made his way towards Aigis, and saw the others tense up.

"Aigis." He spoke quietly. "I'm sorry for... what happened. Getting closer to November has always been bad for me, and there's still something about myself I don't fully understand. And when I saw Mitsuru, I..." He trailed off.

Aigis was looking away from him.

"But that's no excuse. I should have never done that to you. I'm sorry."

He turned away from everyone and began to head up the stairs.

"Minato-san." Aigis' single toned voice spoke up. "I forgive you. I understand why you felt how you did. Orgia Mode was deemed necessary at the time, but I misjudged the Reaper's strength. And I understand your emotions regarding Kirijo-san. When you sleep, you say quote 'I love you, Mitsu'."

Both Mitsuru and Minato's faces went bright red, and everyone else began to smirk.

Goddammit Aigis...

"So, 'we are tight', as they say." Minato could see Junpei chuckle in the corner of his eye.

I wouldn't exactly say that, but...

"Sure." He flashed a half smile before walking up the stairs, until he heard another set of footsteps behind him.

"I am glad you apologised, Mina." Mitsuru held him by the hands.

"Well, despite how I feel about her, it was wrong of me to do that." His smile switched to a small frown. "But... I'm still suspicious of her. I swear I've seen her before, and her using Orgia Mode..."

"What do you mean?" The concerned look returned.

Minato didn't particularly want to talk about this in the open, so he led Mitsuru to her room before shutting it behind them.

"I've seen her before. Before she joined us. I'm sure of it."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

Mitsuru sighed. "If you did encounter her, we can't verify it. Her memory banks were corrupted on the day of the explosion."

"So we have no idea..." He looked down, disappointed.

"Mina..."

His left arm started shaking. It always happened when it got closer to November. The feeling always got stronger as the date grew nearer, to the point where he felt like he was on fire.

"sh*t." He took a deep breath and began to rub at it. "Sorry..."

Mitsuru gently took his hand in hers and began to trace her finger on the lines. "It's okay, Mina. Don't apologise for what you have no control over." She raised her other hand and cupped his cheek.

The warmth of her hand eased his nerves. All of a sudden, things felt better to him.

Mitsuru's Room - Dark Hour

The couple were sound asleep in bed together.

Or, at least Mitsuru was.

Minato couldn't bring himself to sleep. The image of Mitsuru in his arms bleeding out was burnt into his mind.

"Hey there."

The unexpected voice had surprised Minato, until he recognised the soft tone.

"Pharos...?" Minato turned to see the blue eyed child.

"How are you?" Pharos looked at Minato with saddened eyes.

"I'm... okay."

Wait...

Minato looked down to see Mitsuru no longer wrapped in his arms. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Mitsuru?!" He frantically turned his head to scan the room.

"She's okay, there's no need to be afraid. When I leave, she'll be back."

He took a deep breath before relaxing his shoulders.

"You seem... distressed."

"A lot has happened Pharos. I lost a close friend, and I... almost lost Mitsuru as well..." Minato frowned and looked away from the boy.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Pharos matched Minato's frown. "But... I sense something else. I sense... anger."

Minato made a slight chuckle. "Yeah... There's someone on my team that I don't trust. I know I've seen them before too. And they... they were part of the reason why Mitsuru almost died."

"I know who you are talking about. There is an air of familiarity around them."

I knew it.

"I'm not sure if it will do much, but I can try to help you remember. Maybe it will help."

Before Minato could answer, Pharos exuded an aura of darkness, dashed towards Minato and pressed his cold palm against his head.

In an instant, Minato was transported back to the scene of the crash.

The same feeling of blood and sweat trickled down his face.

The image of his father was the same. He was slumped over on the steering wheel, as lifeless as a dead man can be.

But the memory of his mother was different.

She was looking at him, but there was life still in her eyes. And she said something.

Something that Minato could not decipher.

But then that life vanished.

He turned to Minako, and she was still moving.

The same events played out. He unbuckled both of them from the car. He dragged her along, scraping his skin against the shattered glass. He felt the burning metal sear against his arm and chest.

He felt the life leave his sister as he held her in his arms.

Normally, that is where the nightmare, no, the flashback would end.

However, he was still on the bridge, and he could hear a clash nearby.

A large shade was dashing across the bridge, and a blue light followed it.

He closed his eyes, but that didn't stop the hell he was witnessing. Gunfire rang in Minato's ears, and a roar echoed in the night.

Eventually, the noises stopped, and Minato slowly opened his eyes.

The blue light shined brighter and approached Minato, yet he did not move.

Mina...

It knelt down to his level, and extended an arm.

Mina...

And then, everything went bright, and unimaginable pain coursed through Minato's veins.

"Minato!"

Minato screamed, and he shot up. He was back in Mitsuru's room.

He looked at her ruby eyes, and they were filled with worry.

"Mina... you were having a nightmare." She rubbed his upper arms, causing him to tense up.

Minato looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"Mina... what-" Her sentence was cut short by him wrapping his arms tight around her.

His breath was shaky, and his sweat and tears were falling from his face.

"Mina..." Her voice was soft and low.

"I... I was back there... on the bridge..." He spoke between his short breaths, which Mitsuru quickly went to ease. "I remember more of it..."

"Shhhh." Mitsuru shushed. "It's okay... you're safe now..."

He didn't say anything else, but instead focused on his breathing, which was helped by Mitsuru guiding him.

Minato then cursed at himself. "f*ck... I'm sorry, Mitsuru. I... I didn't mean to wake you."

She gently stroked his hair. "Don't apologise, Mina. It's okay."

He looked into her eyes, and could see his own reflection. His hair was a mess, and his silver eyes were red and puffy.

"I was on the bridge... my mom... she said something to me before she..." Minato's fists tightened whilst his arms were still tightly wrapped around Mitsuru. "But I don't know what she said... and I remember... there being a fight..."

"A fight?"

He nodded. "It looked like a Shadow... and it was fighting something... and there was a blue light. Exactly like Aigi-"

His eyes widened with horror.

Was Aigis...

Was Aigis on the bridge?!

"I... I think Aigis... or whatever it was... was on the bridge when it was attacked. And I think... she did something to me." His breath began to quicken again but Mitsuru immediately calmed him before the panic set in.

"What do you mean?"

"It walked up to me... and everything just went white. And I remember feeling pain... worse than anything."

Minato shook his head, trying to break himself out of his mind. "I could just be imagining things, but... I think that's how I know Aigis."

Minato's hand began to tremble again, so Mitsuru gently held it in her own, and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I... I don't know what to do, Mitsuru."

"It's okay not to know, Mina. But know this: I'll always be here to support you." She ran her fingers through his hair whilst his head was pressed against his chest.

Minato felt safe in her arms. He looked up into her crimson eyes and beamed. Even after reliving his pain, she could always bring a smile.

"Thank you, Mitsuru. I..." He felt a lump in his throat. "I love you so much."

She couldn't help but smile back at him. "And I you, Minato."

They held each other longer into the night before drifting back to sleep.

10/19/2009 - Paulownia Mall - After School

"Ah! Arisato-sama!"

Elizabeth stood infront of the Velvet Room entrance; both of her hands clasped together.

"Hey, Elizabeth. You ready to go?" Minato motioned his head for her to follow him.

"Yes, of course. I am excited to visit your place of education."

Minato led Elizabeth to Gekkoukan, but not without receiving some leering eyes in the process. Kenji even approached him to fist bump him, saying how 'he knew Minato liked older women'.

If only he knew.

They eventually ended up in the music room, where Elizabeth insisted to play the piano for him. Her repeated use of the same chords and a lack of variety in the lyrics was not pleasant on Minato's ears (It being called The Velvet Song was not a surprise to him either).

Elizabeth was preparing for an encore, until the door behind then was opened.

"Mi- Arisato? May I ask what you are doing here?" It was Mitsuru.

Before Minato could even respond, Elizabeth stood up to from the piano to greet her.

"Ah, the Empress! It is a pleasure to meet Arisato-sama's closest bond." She extended her gloved hand to offer a handshake.

Mitsuru stared at Elizabeth with a confused expression, giving Minato the opportunity to step in.

"Mitsuru, this is Elizabeth. She is my attendant in the Velvet Room. Elizabeth, this is Mitsuru Kirijo, my... girlfriend."

A blush washed over Mitsuru's face as her eyes went wide.

"Don't worry, Mitsu. She knows." He immediately moved to calm her.

"O- Oh. I guess that makes sense."

He turned to Elizabeth, who had a neutral smile on her face.

"I must offer my gratitude to you, Kirijo-san. You have been a pivotal force in aiding Arisato-sama in his endeavours." She graciously bowed infront of them.

"Oh. Well... thank you, Elizabeth. Minato is... very important to me, and I will always be there for him." Minato couldn't hide his own blush from Mitsuru's comment.

She's never been like this in school.

"Anyways, I must take my leave. Whilst I can leave the Velvet Room, Master does require me to return soon." She bowed again at the couple before exiting the music room, leaving the couple alone.

"So she is the woman you told us about?" Mitsuru raised an eyebrow, and Minato couldn't tell if she was teasing or if she was genuinely curious.

"Yeah, she is. She wanted to check out Gekkoukan, so I offered to bring her along." He figured he wouldn't try and gamble, so he settled with a serious response.

"And the Master she referred to?"

"That's Igor. Incredibly cryptic, doesn't like to share much. I think he knows the future, but refuses to tell me anything."

"Well if he told you, then wouldn't that then alter the future?"

"True. Unless if him telling me was what he foresaw in the future."

"We are just going in circles, Mina."

They both giggled before resting their hands upon each other. Mitsuru laid her arms on Minato's shoulders, whilst he gently held her by her waist.

"I'm surprised you are being this close at school, Mitsu. What changed?" He co*cked an eyebrow of his own, but his was genuine.

"Am I not allowed to see my boyfriend?" She smirked.

Minato began to stutter. "I- uh, of course you can. I just wasn't expecting it."

She playfully hit him. "I'm only teasing, Mina. You can't be the only one who can in this relationship."

"I need to up my game then. I can't have you beating me in that as well."

They both inched their faces towards each other and pressed their lips together. There was always a spark of passion whenever they kissed, and this time was no exception. Minato could feel her tongue brushing against his lips, so he indulged her and introduced his own to the mix.

After a somewhat long moment together, their lips parted.

Minato gazed lovingly into her eyes, yet was snapped out of his trance by his left hand shaking, increasing in intensity.

"f*ck sake." He muttered and clenched his hand into a fist to stop the shaking. "Sorry, Mitsu."

"I've already told you this, Mina. You must stop apologising for what you cannot help."

The frown on his face quickly left, and was replaced with a smile.

"I love you... my empress."

She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.

sh*t, I thought she might li-

"I like that one." She gave him a wide smile of her own. "But I don't have one similar to call you."

Minato quickly shuffled through the tarot deck in his mind, trying to figure out what would be the best suited for him.

Eventually, he found one.

"How about 'Fool'? Kinda describes me perfectly."

She narrowed her eyes again. "Isn't the Fool bond meant to represent the team's bond with you?" She smirked again. "Or are you insinuating that you wish to be shared?"

"What?! I- No!" He lost composure for a short moment. "I'm interpreting it as it being my own Arcana. Like how you are the Empress."

"Once again Mina, I was teasing you."

"You are becoming too powerful. I seriously need to improve."

They moved their faces, prepared to kiss again, until they heard a gasp from behind them.

"Holy sh*t!" It was Kenji and Kaz, staring wide eyed at the couple. "You're dating Kirijo-senpai, Arisato-kun?!"

Before either of them could give a reply, they could people yelling across the entire hallway. There were a lot of 'What?!'s and some 'You're kidding!'s, and Minato swore he heard a girl scream "Kirijo-senpai?! NOOOOO!!!"

Oh... f*ck...

"Kenji, Kaz, it's been fun knowing you." Minato took a step back, putting some space between the two boys and Mitsuru, who's rage was rivaling his own at times.

I guess subtlety is off the table...

Mitsuru's Room - Evening

Minato was laid flat on Mitsuru's bed whilst she planted her head on his torso. The drama today was exhausting for the both of them. After Kenji and Kazushi yelled their relationship to the entire school, she quickly dealt with them away from prying eyes. Minato was going to ask what happened to them, but after seeing them slowly inch their way out of the room chattering their teeth, he figured it was better to leave it.

"So..." Minato's voice was quiet. "I guess everyone knows now."

Mitsuru was silent.

"Mitsu?"

She continued to stay silent.

"Is there a reason as to why you aren't saying anything?"

She lifted her head to meet his. "I didn't want people to find out about us just yet. I've seen the looks girls give you, and I'm worried they will try even harder to take you from me, and that you will go with them."

Minato stared at her blankly for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

"M-Mina?!"

"I'm sorry Mitsu, it's just-" He calmed his laughter before continuing. "I just never expected you of all people to be insecure."

She then stared at him with her jaw slightly open. She was probably offended by being called insecure.

"But, I can assure you, that will never happen. I've only got eyes for you, my empress." His smile only added to his charm, and made Mitsuru heavily blush. "And, if anything, I should be the one worried."

"What do you mean?" She co*cked her head to side.

"I mean, you're Mitsuru Kirijo. You are smart, beautiful, and badass. And extremely intimidating at times. You're the most popular girl in school, "

"Guys like girls who are intimidating?"

"Some do, yeah."

"Are you one of those guys?"

He replied with a deadpanned face. "No comment."

She giggled. "I guess we are both a bit insecure."

"I guess so. But that is what makes us perfect for each other." He leaned into her and softly kissed her on the forehead. "But there is a silver lining in all of this."

"And that is?"

"I don't have to be discreet anymore." Minato pulled her into his chest and let out a sigh, but one of content and not exhaustion.

She hummed into his torso. "I love you, my fool."

"I love you too, my empress."