Minato woke up with a bit of a headache, much to his confusion. For some reason, his mind felt fuzzy, making him wonder if it was something he ate the night before.

"What the..." He said, looking down at himself only to realize that his sheets completely dangled up. "What did I dream about...?" Still, it rather unusual for him to toss so much while he slept. Was it something important...?

Shaking his head, the boy got out of his bed and ready for school. The Full Moon operation was today and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by stuff he has been dreaming. Surely if it was anything important, he would remember it given enough time.

Later that night, the whole team was gathered in the command room, waiting as Fuuka scanned the area with Juno. A few moments passed before the girl spoke.

"The twelfth and final Shadow is currently at the south end of the Moonlight bridge. And as expected, Strega is already waiting for us." Mitsuru's expression darkened a little.

"They know it is their last chance. We have to be careful in case they decide to do something rash."

"At least we don't have to look for them now. We can end all of this once and for all," Akihiko said with a confident expression on his face. Ken nodded beside him. Hamuko took a quick look around the team, taking in the determination they were all feeling. With a quick flip of her sheeted sword, the girl rose to her feet and moved so they could all see her.

"Everybody ready? Then let's go." SEES raised to their feet as well, each of them grabbing their weapons and marching out of the dorm, resolve pretty much written on their faces. Luckily, the Moonlight Bridge wasn't far from them and they had reached it withing minutes. One the other hand, they had to cross the bridge first before reaching the south end, which proved to be unfortunate considering who they met right after they arrived.

The two remaining Persona-Users, Takaya and Jin, were waiting for them, weapons ready and without even waiting for the reaction of the team the blond spoke up.

"You realise the significance of today, do you not?" Instead of answering, Hamuko just stared him dead in the eye, face as stoic as can be. "You claim you hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring yet countless lives are lost without their intervention." The twin's face darkened for a moment before turning blank again. "The power we wield is not itself evil... You cannot deny that. So why don't you just admit it? You do not wish to eliminate the Dark Hour... For erasing the Dark Hour is erasing yourselves."

"It's not," the red-headed girl finally said, her face remaining blank. "They Dark Hour doesn't define who we are, it only shows other sides of us. And although people die everyday, we can't just stand by and watch. Not if we can do something about it." Hearing that, Takaya visibly clicked his tongue and Minato took the time to actually look at his sister for once. She was... different. Still their leader, sure, but there was something else there. Like she was remembering something hurtful and ready to close the chapter and never look back at it again. He would have asked what it was but it was kind of the wrong place for something like that so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Forget these maggots, Takaya. They won't understand our goal anyway," Jin intervened, taking a step closer to his partner. The taller male chuckled, spreading his arms as if to welcome them.

"Very well. We shall let fate decide who shall prevail... Come." Without waiting for the team to respond, Takaya had already summoned his Persona, giving them no time to dodge the gale he was throwing at them. Quick to react, each SEES member took out their Evoker, sending their Personae out to return the attack with everything they had. Sparks and Ice flew around them, making it almost impossible to make out the movements of battle if it weren't for Fuuka keeping them up to date with everything Strega did. Eventually Hamuko swung her sword after Takaya, forcing him to dodge by stepping back and right in front of her twin.

Adrenalin rushed through the boys body as he slashed at man, latter barely avoiding on of the blades. He brought up his second blade to strike but just before he made contact he flipped the blade, hitting Takaya with only the flat side.

"What are you doing, Minato?!" he heard his sister shout but he only shook his head. No, they couldn't kill them, not yet. They needed information on how they got their Evokers, their Personae and why they went berserk from time to time. If they just ended them here, they would never get the answers they needed. He put his kunais away, eliciting small chuckle from the blond in front of him.

"My, going easy on this poor human, are you? Well, I suppose someone like you would decide things such as that." The bluenet shook his head, getting into a kickboxing position.

"You don't know anything about me." With that he took a quick sprint to the man, punching straight for his face which he merely dodged, the boy ducked, hitting him right into his stomach. Taking a step back again to strike again, he gave him another kick in the knee, rendering him momentarily stunned. But before he knew it, a humanoid figure appeared above them, its spine replaced by red veins springing from its back, leading up to gigantic black wings. A horrible scream echoed over the whole bridge, being the only warning for Minato before a huge gale knocked him off his feet, throwing him to the ground with a loud thud.

"Minato-kun, are you alright?! Please get up!"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" The Fool got back to his feet just in time to see Akihiko punch Takaya against the bridge railing. At just the same moment, the others finished off the other Strega member, throwing him right beside the other man. Both just panted for a while before getting back on their feet to glare at the team.

"Damn it..." Jin muttered, holding onto his side. His eyes didn't lose any of their hate reflected in them. "How come their power is so different from ours...?"

Mitsuru stepped forward, her interest perked. "Different...?"

"You don't know? We can't just summon our Personas, they have to be forced out! Didn't that friend of your tell you?!" The glassed male's face turned into and equally frustrated and mad expression, his mouth opening to shout some more at them. "Once the Dark Hour disappears, normal people won't notice the difference but you have no idea what it means to us! Without it, we're-"

"Jin, enough." His mouth instantly snapped shut as Takaya finally stood up straight. "Now, then... Ordinary we'd withdraw, but not tonight. This body, as ephemeral as it is... It is worthless without my power. Therefore, only one choice remains..." He raised his gun to his temple, just like the members of SEES did so often but everybody knew what it meant. "I shall prove my existence here and now!" Paralyzed by shock, none of them was able to move. None but Jin who quickly jumped to his partner's side and pulled the hand holding the gun away from him.

"Don't be so reckless!" he shouted, already pulling the other male back against the railings of the bridge. "I'm sorry, but those are only your words." He turned back the group, his eyes still filled with anger. "Your win... Looks like you get your wish... Just do what you came to do. Cause this is the way we live!" Before anyone could stop them, Jin had leaned back, pulling Takaya with him over the edge. Minato ran up to them instantly but could only watch as their bodies hit the surface, disappearing in the waves of blood.

"I can't believe this... They just... jumped..." He felt a hand on his shoulder which gently pulled him away from the railing, turning him around to look at silver eyes.

"They made their choice. Don't let it bother you. Alright?" He hesitated for a moment before nodding, agreeing with Akihiko. They couldn't let this bother them too much, not when their final foe was waiting for them. They turned back to the rest of their team, where Mitsuru was already briefing them on what they knew. They were moving soon afterward, their weapons at the ready and Evokers drawn. It didn't take long for them to reach the huge hovering figure, hanging from a cross at the end of the bridge. The mask covering its face hung upside down, the whole body being levitated by hat seemed to be a circle made out of wings.

"It's not moving, but it's out of your attack range! I think you will need to destroy the figurines to get it down! They seem to be directly linked to its health."

"Got it!" Hamuko shouted, directing her orders at the rest of the team. "Sanada, Junpei, Aigis! Hit them with everything you got! Kirijo, Ken! Alternate between attacking and supporting! Do whatever you see fit! Minato, Yukari! You stand back and support! Minato, concentrate on attacking! Koro and I will attack when we see an opening! Everybody got it? Then let's finish this!" A chorus of agreement echoed from the team which quickly getting to work. In a matter of seconds they had defeated the statues, the Hanged Man falling down with an agonized cry.

"Hamuko! Now's our chance!" Minato shouted. His twin nodded and seconds later the whole team was charging at the enemy. When they were, done, it stayed on the ground for a while, letting out a pained growl. Their victory was short, though, as the Shadow raised itself onto its knees and slammed its hands onto the concrete beneath them. The closest to it tripped and fell to ground while the others merely stumbled. The Fool narrowed his eyes, raised his Evoker to his temple and summoned Orpheus. "Mediarama!" The damage was healed before it was done and soon enough the team was attacking again. It took quite a while for them to finish it but after a while they were finally done, the Shadow disappearing into dark mist.

A collective silence fell over them until finally, Junpei broke it. "...So, it's over?"

"Operation complete. Or rather, 'Mission accomplished,'" Aigis added, her voice as neutral as ever. Mitsuru nodded, a soft smile on her lips.

"Yes... After all this time, it's finally over."

"Hey! Shouldn't we celebrate?" Hamuko shouted unusually hyper. She walked up to the Student council president and threw her arms around her shoulder, lying her chin on top of her shoulder. "Senpai! How about a party tomorrow?" Junpei's face visibly brightened up at that, his feet carrying him up to their red-headed upperclassman.

"Yeah! How 'bout sushi?"

"You don't waste a second, do you? Very well, I will have the very best delivered tomorrow," Mitsuru said with a slight chuckle in her voice, obviously amused. The rest of the team immediately perked up at her words and idly came up to her with a weird shine in their eyes.

"I've got dibs on the halibut and sea urchin!"

"I call the fatty tuna!"

"We're divvying it up already? In that case, save me the salmon roe."

"Put extra Wasabi on mine!" was thrown into the tussle by Minato, earning some rather disturbed expressions from his friends. A few moments passed before they all shared a hearty laugh and looked back at the sky, the familiar green moon shining back at them for the last time.

"Time to say good-bye to the Dark Hour," Hamuko said in an unusually soft voice. All of SEES nodded in response while the bluenet threw a look across the group until they finally llanded on a pair of grey eyes smiling back at him.

After ten years of pain, agony and loneliness... It was finally over.

But somehow this didn't feel like the end.

"Good morning." Minato groggily opened his eyes, moving his head to the person daring to wake him up so early. Pharos only smiled at his glare and hopped off the bed before turning back to face his friend. "Nice weather, isn't it? Surely the start of a new day." His gaze was turned to the window before back at the Summoner. "All the fragments of my memory...they've finally come together. I now know my role clearly. The time has come. As difficult as it may be, I must tell you something..."

A sad expression took over his face and the taller male sat up in his bed, staring at the child with wide eyes. This couldn't be...?

"I'm afraid this is good-bye," he finally said, voicing the thoughts he had feared for so long. "I want you to know that for me, our friendship was a miracle. But miracles don't last forever. If only they did..." He sighed for a moment before carrying on. "I shall treasure our conversations. Even if today is the end, I won't forget the time we spent together. Well, it was fun while it lasted!" Pharos took a few steps back from him and Minato could only watch in frustration as he moved. "...Farewell."

And then he just disappeared as he always did, only this time the Persona-user knew it was for good. He looked down at his sheets clenched in his fists and slowly relaxed, letting the world around him turn grey again and the universe whisper to him how he had gained new power and how the bond cannot be broken but he didn't care about that.

"I won't forget about you either, Pharos," he whispered, clenching his fist once again before getting out of bed. He had to get ready to school or Mitsuru would scold him.

As he got down the stairs after getting back to the dorm, Minato could already hear the whistles and cries of awe at the food which he could only chuckle at. A few seconds later he had joined them just as Yukari turned around in her seat, her eyes glowing in wonder.

"Minato-kun, look at those slices! They're huge!" The boy looked over her shoulder and gaped a little himself. While he had eaten a lot of sushi in his life, this was also his first time seeing it being so gigantic. Instead of thinking too much about it in fear he would dive into the food, he took a look around the group, noting that some were missing.

"Hey, where are Aigis and Ikutsuki-san?"

"He took her to the lab for a tune-up or something. He said they'll join us later," Akihiko answered without hesitation and with a small smirk on his face. Fuuka chuckled a little while shifting in her seat a bit.

"The Chairman just can't stay away from the lab, can he?" She padded the seat beside her which the Summoner gladly took, earning a nasty look from Yukari as he did. Before the girl could say anything about it, the door bell rang, turning all eyes towards the entrance.

"That must be my father," Mitsuru said before getting up and opening the door. The bodyguards were the first to enter, shortly followed by none other than Takeharu Kirijou, still with the same stoic expression on his face. "We've been waiting for you." The red-heads voice was stiff in strained coldness but her father dismissed it with a wave of his hand, easing the tension almost immediately.

"It is finally over." He looked across the teens for a moment, gazing at each of them for a few seconds before speaking again. "Congratulations, everyone. You've done well. There are no words to express my gratitude. Though you will never receive the recognition you deserve, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement." He moved towards Yukari, gently taking one of her hands into his. "I owe special thanks to you, Miss Takeba. For lending us your power until the very end, despite how much pain it must have caused you."

"N-No, it's no big deal..." she mumbled in return, her cheeks slightly red. The man only nodded in understanding and turned back towards the whole group.

"The twelve Shadows that were the cause of all our troubles have been destroyed, thanks to your efforts. You needn't bear this burden any longer; you deserve a chance to experience the joys of youth." He took a deep breath before continuing. "The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be disbanded at midnight tonight." Minato didn't have to look at the others inside the room to know that their eyes had widened just as much as his did. "No longer must you put your lives on the line in battle. Tomorrow, you can triumphantly return to a normal school life."

Despite how happy the news should have been, uncertain looks turned around the room, a pair of blue eyes being one of them. They should have expected it since the sole purpose of SEES was to fight the Shadows and with the Dark Hour gone, they didn't have a reason to stay together anymore. But for some reason, it didn't sell well for any of them, earning them confused looks from the Chairman of the Kirijou Group.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, clearly not seeing why the teens were so unsettled. Instead of answering his question, Mitsuru steppe forward and changed the topic.

"...Very well, it's time to celebrate. Eat as much as you like, there is enough for all of you." Junpei let out a yowl of joy and sprinted up to the table, closely followed by the others. Minato stopped for a moment as the world turned grey again, telling him how he had once again gained power before he, too, joined the meal.

Hours seemed to pass in a flash as they ate and laughed together, the group simply having fun and celebrating their success. After some time Junpei looked around the rest of them who had put their plates down.

"H-Hey, why aren't you eating? Don't tell me you are already full!"

"Are you kidding me? I'm stuffed!" Yukari retorted, already starting their next round of bickering. Ignoring their antics, Minato turned to the silveret beside him who had also put his plate aside.

"Are you full, too, Senpai?" The boxer simply shrugged with a small smile as he eyed the wasabi drenched piece of maki the other was holding.

"Well, there's only so much sushi I can eat at once..." He looked down at his wristwatch, softly mumbling, "It's almost midnight..." The boy hummed for a moment as he grabbed for another piece of sushi.

"Aigis and the chairman are not here, huh. I wonder what they are up to." Everyone was silent as they waited like they had done so many nights before, only the ticking of the clock audible. There should be nothing to wait for but for some reason they did, even the eating stopic when the hands finally struck.

It came instantly just like it always had; electricity turning off, all sound disappearing, the only source of light the shining green moon outside. Koromaru started barking the moment Ken jumped to his feet and ran to the window, Mitsuru joining them again from where she had stood before.

"Senpai, what's going on?!" Junpei shouted in confusion. Sadly, it didn't look like the upperclassmen had the answers like she usually had.

"I don't know," she simply said with a shaky voice.

"We defeated the Shadows... It should have been over..." a voice whispered, coming from none other than his twin. The boy quickly walked up to her and placed hi hand on her shaking shoulder on which she placed her own.

"I had my doubts... Something just didn't feel right when we defeated it." Ken had returned, his face even more glum than it usually was. Before anyone could say anything, loud bells ehoed from outside, once again bringing them all to silence.

"W-Where are those coming from..?" Minato felt his throat getting dry, fear coursing through his body for a moment. "Could it be... the school? There isn't any other place I can think of." All of a sudden Mr. Kirijou jumped to his feet, turning to talk to his daughter.

"Where's Ikutsuki?! He has Aigis with him as well, right?!" A few moments passed in which the red head was silent before she turned to the team to speak.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle! We are heading for Tartarus!" Though there were unspoken thoughts going around the group, they still nodded, each heading for their room to get their battle gear. Along the way Minato felt something brush against his arm, Hamuko standing right beside him with concern written on her face.

"It's going to be okay." He wasn't sure if it was to reassure him or herself.

After a short while they arrived at the gate of Tartarus, two figures waiting for them. The blood in his veins grew cold when they grew clearer as the man's grin grew wider.

"You..." Hamuko growled as she shifted into a battle stance. Her red eyes seemed to glow with anger. Ikutsuki only chuckled.

"I see you came," he noted with his ever pleasant smile. The red-head's anger only seemed to grow even more but before she could unsheathe her sword Mitsuru blocked her view though her didn't lack in intensity.

"Chairman. You said defeating the twelve Shadows would put an end to the Dark Hour as well as the Apathy Syndrome. Was that all a lie?"

"My, as sharp as ever, Mitsuru." A few of them gasped. "Indeed, I never intended for you to erase the Dark Hour. Quite the opposite actually." Suddenly his face seemed to twist until his smile turned sinister, arms spread wide at his side. "The Dark Hour was only the start. The Twelve Shadows were the harbinger for the Prince who shall bring upon the Fall. The Fall of everything!"

"The Fall... of everything?" Something stirred deep inside Minato and the teen felt sickness overcome him. The boy stared at his hands, vision starting to blur. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"I have a question," Yukari asked as she boldly stepped forward. Her fingers tightened around the Evoker in her hand. "The video of my father. He said we should destroy the Twelve Shadows."

For a moment it seemed like Ikutsuki's expression would change, a small twitch in the corner of his eyes and his smile seeming just a bit more plastic but it remained just as it was. "Ah yes. Your father was a brilliant scientist but horribly misguided so changes had to be made."

"You doctored it!"

"I corrected it," the man spoke in response to Hamuko's snarl, his voice like a father who was belittling a child. "I must say, you have played an excellent part. You have exceeded even my expectations, Arisato. Truly magnificient." Something suspiciously sounding a growl escaped their redhead. Her eyes glaring at the chairman, she finally unsheathed her sword.

"Why are we even listening to him?! Aigis!" The android didn't even stir. Ikutsuki chuckled.

"I'm sorry but Aigis is now the weapon she was intended to be." There was a series of gasp amidst them but Minato simply stared at their friend. No. If he has Aigis then...

"Well, I think we have chatted enough. Now it is time for you to be made ready. You should be honored to be sacrificed for the Prince. Aigis!" The sound of gears turning resounded through the silent school ground, he blond jolted, mechanic blue eyes focusing on the group of teenagers in front of them.

"...Understood." The girl jumped and everything turned black.

"...You know, your father was an unlucky man. Even you, his son, after all this time do not understand his vision."

"My father was wrong. Death as deliverance...that is not an ideology that anyone should ever embrace!"

"Aigis! Don't!"

"I have waited too long...! I am not like your father...! I don't make exceptions!"

"Father!"

Gunshots rang through the air, drowsy blue eyes snapping open as a body below slowly fell to the ground. Something around his wrists moved – shackles? - and he was falling. He heard voices calling, footsteps, but they didn't matter. Uncertain feet landed on the floor and stumbled forward towards that body he had seen move not long ago. He heard screams again and looked up, just in time to see another person falling, falling and falling out of his sight.

Mitsuru kneeled down beside the man while the rest of the team gathered around them. Silently they watched as the woman – no, girl – gently raised her father's head into her lap, looking down at his closed eyes as if he were sleeping.

"One time, my father promised he would atone for endangering our generation..." Her voice was quiet, soft, fragile like none of them have heard it before. Slowly she bit her lip and spoke again with a small quiver, "B-But... I wanted him to live...! I became a persona user just so...!"

No one said anything, just the quiet sobs of their leader echoing through the green tinted night. Minato just continued to stare at the body lying in front of him, eyes unblinking, waiting, anticipating that gut churning feeling to come.

It never did.

HELL FUCKING YES IT ONLY TOOK LIKE A FUCKING YEAR

Seriously though, once again, I am deeply sorry. Life has hit me hard lately added to the fact graduation is steadily approaching but I will finish this story. More information on my profile but I plan to stop writing long-winded fanfiction after this one is finished. With that said, let's make the rest of this ride one we will not regret, shall we?