It's been a while, hasn't it? A bit over two years? To be honest, I will be completely shocked if any of my old readers will read this. If it were me, I would have given up on this a long time ago. To those who are still sticking around, thank you for your support despite my crappy update rate. To those who are new around here, I hope I can provide for you an interesting story. Anyways, I won't hold you guys any longer. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Goojila does not own anything.

Spiraling Destiny

Chapter 8: Innocence, Justice, and Belief

Club Escapade, Tokyo, Japan

7/10/2009

For the second night in a row, Hamuko found herself entering the same club late into the night. Why? The girl had absolutely no clue. Perhaps it was the excitement of entering a night club when she was only a minor? Or maybe it was a way to let loose from all the stress in her life? Hamuko rolled her eyes at such thoughts. Probably not. If anything, it was probably because of another sleepless night haunting her. What better way to kill time at twelve in the morning than conversing with the drunks at the local dance club? In all honesty, however, Hamuko had absolutely no clue as to why she was here.

"Excuse me... Sorry about that," Hamuko muttered, pushing her way through the sea of people that were out in the middle of the dance floor. Wincing in slight pain, the girl did her best to tune out the blaring music that was beginning to hurt her eardrums. Out of the corner of her eyes, Hamuko could make out a boy and a girl furiously grinding their bodies against each other to the beat of the music. It took all of Hamuko's willpower to not gag. After a minute of pushing and squeezing through, the girl found herself in the same isolated bar she had stumbled upon the night before. In front of her was the same man, drinking away without a single care in the world. Hesitantly, Hamuko walked over and took a seat next to the man.

"You're back," the man stated flatly as he chugged away the last of his drink. Next to him, cocktail glasses were littered about. Apparently, the bartender was being a tad bit lazy and not cleaning up after the man.

"Yeah, I am," Hamuko replied, mentally counting the glasses. Three drinks? Wasn't that a bit too much? Nervously, the girl scooted a bit back from the man in case the amount of alcohol was a bit too much for him and he decided to try something... uncivil.

The man, noticing Hamuko's slight trepidation, chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry… I'm not going to do anything funny to you…. I'm not drunk enough to do something that stupid. Besides, I'm done drinking for tonight." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Hey, do you remember our conversation from last night?"

Hamuko nodded her head. "Your girlfriend, right? The one you cheated on?" Although Hamuko didn't mean it, and her words from the previous night, there was a slight edge to her tone.

"Yeah, that one…" the man muttered with a distant look on his face. "Well, I got some more news for you: my girlfriend is pregnant for sure." Smoke escaped from the man's mouth as he gave a large sigh.

"C-Congratulations," Hamuko said with a strained smile, unsure how to properly respond to the man's news. While the news of new life was amazing and exciting, the nervous look on the man's face combined with his rather hectic situation made it rather difficult to properly congratulate him.

The man, perhaps noticing Hamuko's tentativeness, reassuringly patted the girl on the back. "Thanks… But then again, that's probably the most common response people say, right?"

"Yeah, it is," Hamuko quietly replied. Slapping her cheeks together lightly after a moment of silence, the girl grabbed a menu that was lying nearby.

"Oi. What are you doing?" the man inquired, eyebrows raised as he reached over to snatch the menu out of the high school girl's hands. "You're too young to be drinking."

"I-I mean, isn't it traditional for a round of drinks to go around when someone brings up good news? Besides, I was going to get something non-alcoholic," Hamuko muttered, snatching the menu back from the man.

The man sat in complete silence before a chuckle began to escape from his lips. The chuckle grew, becoming full-on laughter as the man was resorted to grabbing onto the bar for support. "T-True," the man chortled while dropping his cigarette into an ashtray. "Bartender! A Rum and Cola for me. Get the kid here a Shirley Temple."

Hamuko watched with fascination as the bartender worked his magic, creating the two drinks in a matter of seconds. Mumbling thanks to the bartender, the girl raised her highball glass high in the air. "Congratulations," Hamuko announced, clicking the two glasses together before bringing the glass to lips and taking a long sip from her drink. Sweet ginger ale mixed with grenadine syrup invaded her lips, leaving a saccharine aftertaste in the girl's mouth. "Urg this is…"

"What? Too sweet for you?" the man asked amusedly, settling his cocktail glass on his coaster. "I guess the bartender added too much syrup."

Clicking her tongue in displeasure, Hamuko tiredly glared at the half-filled glass that was in her hand. "Are they all always this sweet?"

"The non-alcoholic ones? Pretty much," the man lazily said, reclining comfortably back into his chair. "Hey… Don't force yourself to drink all that. No one should chug down a drink like that."

Giving a weak laugh, Hamuko lowered the glass from her lips. "I thought you were supposed to drink it all in one shot."

"You've been watching too many movies, Hamuko," the man smirked, before making a hand signal at the bartender. "Bartender, my friend here is already done with her drink. Why don't you make her a Cinderella this time?"

"Wait, another one?" Hamuko asked confusingly, a look of grimace appearing on her face. Another overly sugary drink? The girl doubted that she could stomach another sugar bomb. While Hamuko enjoyed sweets, another drink like a Shirley Temple would just be pushing it.

"Yeah, you said this was a time for celebration, right?" he laughed, enjoying the uncomfortable look on the girl's face. "Don't worry: the Cinderella is a bit different."

Sighing, Hamuko resigned herself to her fate as she awaited the bartender to finish making her drink. Within seconds, a pale, yellow drink garnished with a lemon was placed in front of her.

"Cinderella."

"Thank you," Hamuko muttered to the bartender as she warily eyed the new drink in front of her. As she grabbed the new drink, the man raised his glass high in the air.

"To your future and freedom," he said, not waiting for Hamuko to touch her glass with his as he immediately took another sip from his Rum and Cola. "May yours turn out completely different from mine."

"Ouch… You're little tough on yourself," Hamuko giggled as she watched the man snort and roll his eyes. "Yeah. To both our futures." With that, the girl brought the new glass to her lips. Expecting the same syrupy taste like last time, the girl closed her eyes and cringed prematurely. To her utter surprise, a pleasant, tangy sensation spread across her tongue instead of the harsh, sweet taste Hamuko had previously encountered. Immediately, Hamuko found herself reaching for more. "This… is good."

"Heh, I thought you'd like it. Actually, now that I think about it, it's pretty interesting that you like the Cinderella," the man mused while ordering another drink for Hamuko. "Do you know what Cinderella means?"

"No… I didn't know that cocktails had a meaning behind them," Hamuko replied. Interested, the girl set her glass down and gave the man her full attention.

The man gave a wry grin. "Well, I'm no expert, but I like to go this one bar back home a lot. The bartender there always likes to give me some alcohol trivia whenever I finish a drink," he muttered, stroking his chin as the man began to search through his memories. "Anyways, a lot of cocktails have a story or meaning behind them. Take this Rum and Cola for example. It's actually called 'Cuba Libre.' The rum called for in this drink represents Cuba. It mixes the national specialties of Cuba and the United States, as a celebration of Cuba's independance. 'Cuba Libre' means 'Free Cuba.'"

"I see…" Hamuko said as she began to eye her drink. "And what does Cinderella mean?"

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of the fairytale of Cinderella, right?"

Hamuko nodded her head. "The fairytale? It'll be pretty hard to find someone who hasn't heard of that one."

"Then it should be pretty easy to know what the drink means. Just think about the story and the taste of the drink," the man lazily said, finishing off the last of his drink. "I really should stop drinking for today."

Ignoring the man's last remark, Hamuko glanced at her drink again before taking another sip from it. A little sour but a warm sweetness. Midnight magic. The story of Cinderella. Could it be…?

"This drink is about hope and dreams…?" Hamuko hesitantly asked after a small moment. Instantly, the girl wanted to slap herself in the head. Just how cheesy could she get?

To her surprise, the man gave a slow clap. "Not bad. One story says that this drink was created by a man living in complete poverty. As a last ditch effort to raise some money, he went out and spent the last of his cash to buy ingredients for a drink he had been coming up with. Next day, this new drink sells red-hot and the man is eventually able to start a bar of his own. Up until then, the drink had no name. When patrons of the bar began to ask the man what the name of the drink was, the man couldn't come up with a proper name. The man passes away, and no name has been given to this drink. Years later, people began calling the drink 'Cinderella' in reference to the fairytale-like story of the man."

"Huh…? That's actually interesting…" Hamuko whispered, looking at the drink in a new light.

"Well, it's either that, or some guy was really bored and created this drink to attract the ladies," the man countered in a deadpanned voice.

Rolling her eyes, Hamuko shot the man a dry look. "I'll stick to the first story, thank you very much. It's much mo-"

"By the way, I forgot to mention that there was another thing to the Cinderella," the man interrupted. "Innocence."

"Innocence…?"

"Yeah. Innoncence. Which is why I found it pretty interesting when you said you liked this drink so much," the man grinned before taking another glance at his empty glass and shaking his head. "Screw it. Bartender. Another Rum and Cola!"

"Why is it so interesting?"

The man stared absentmindedly into space, as if he were contemplating his next words. After what felt like several moments, he finally spoke up. "You know the Shirley Temple you drank earlier? Apparently, add alcohol into it, and you get a Dirty Shirley Temple. A once simple and maybe overly sweet drink corrupted by the foul touches of alcohol. Likewise, adding alcohol to a Cinderella turns it into a Dirty Cinderella." He stared almost enviously at the drink that was sitting in front of Hamuko. "You remind me of the Cinderella, you know –someone who's still untouched. When you get to be as old as me, you see a lot of stuff, and trust me, it sucks. You lose a lot of hope, and you become a cynical, bitter persona like me. I've already been tainted… But here you are: an innocent girl drinking this innocent drink that symbolizes hopes and dreams. I kinda just wish I was like you."

Hamuko merely sat in her chair in silence. By now, the only thing that could be heard was the blasting pop music that was playing earlier. "I… I don't think that you've lost your hopes and dreams."

The man paused, the same distant look appearing on his face. "Why do you say that?" he quietly asked. The glass of alcohol that was placed in front of him remained untouched.

"I mean, truly cynical people who have lost all hope don't like associating with hopeful people. We irritate them, you see? You're talking to me, right? You still have your dreams, don't you? Isn't it just a matter of chasing them?"

"…"

"…"

The two stared at each other. Stormy gray eyes met cherry-red ones before a grin appeared on the man's face. "Yeah, I guess you're right… Even an old fart like me can have can have some dreams."

"That's the spirit," Hamuko cheered, giving the man a resounding smack on his back. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized once she saw the man wincing.

"N-No, it's okay," he reassured before chuckling and pulling out his phone. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"My girlfriend is pregnant with my kid."

"Yes, that's what you said a little while ago."

"I'm going to have to marry her, right?"

"Yep."

"Which means no more drinking late into the night."

"Yep."

"That means I can't check out the other ladies anymore."

"You're disgusting."

"Goddammit," the man sighed, albeit with a smile on his face. "Can't a guy like me catch a break anymore?"

"Nope! You have to take responsibility! Make sure you pick out a nice ring and to give your child a proper name. Also, make sure you clean things up with the other girl. After that, get on your knees and beg for forgiveness from your girlfriend," Hamuko mockingly reprimanded.

Eyes full of laughter, the man clicked his tongue and turned around. "Cheeky kid. What are you, my mother?"

"Like any child of mine would end up a bad egg like you," Hamuko retorted with a wide Cheshire grin on her face. The man, in response, chuckled for a little bit before a solemn look settled on his face.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Tonight… I think tonight is going to be the last time you see me here."

"… Why is that?"

The man, instead of responding, pulled a couple of bills from his pocket. "Keep the change," he told the bartender, who flashed him a small look of gratitude. "I… I need time to think."

"Oh," Hamuko flatly said with a small frown on her face. "Plus I guess if you really are going to clean up your act, that means no more late night bar trips for you anymore."

"Yeah, that too I guess. Remember the bar back home I was talking about? I need to go back there and take care of some stuff… Or at least try to. To be honest, I still don't know what the hell I'm doing and where I feel about all of this." The man gave a bitter laugh. "Maybe the nightmare tonight will actually make me make up my damn mind. At any rate, I'm not going to get anything done just loitering around at this bar."

"I-I see… Does that mean we're never going to see each other again?"

Suddenly, the man stood up from his bar stool. "Nah. I have a feeling we'll end up seeing each other somewhere down the road. Whatever the hell these nightmares are, I'll conquer them and tell you what happens to me. Look forward to it." Without turning around, the man gave a wave at the sitting model. "And Hamuko? Do me a favor and don't turn into a Dirty Cinderella. Innocence suits you far more."

"Okay."

"Good. See ya." With that, the man disappeared into the sea of people.

Minutes would pass by before Hamuko realized that she never got the man's name. Shaking her head, the girl blankly stared into space, absentmindedly recalling the conversation she just had with the man.

"Miss?"

The bartender's voice snapped Hamuko out of her thoughts. "Yes?"

"Are you done with your drink?"

Next to her was an unfinished glass of Cinderella. Shaking her head, the girl picked up the drink and, for the final time that night, allowed the sweet drink to run down her throat.

This taste… This sensation she was feeling right now. What was it? For some reason, the tangy taste that complimented the sweet was absent, replaced by something Hamuko couldn't place her finger on. Just what was it? What sort of feeling did this drink create?

Suddenly, Hamuko's lips twitched upwards. This feeling. She knew what it was. The girl began to laugh quietly to herself before setting the glass down.

A little sweet with a touch of innocence.

Paulownia Mall, Tokyo, Japan

7/11/2009

Sighing, Hamuko tossed her abused mechanical pencil onto the small table. Her coffee, long stone cold, was still half full and unlikely to be finished off. "Stupid derivatives. Stupid integrals. Stupid math equations. Stupid tests," the model darkly muttered as she continued to stare at her notebook which contained an hour's worth of scribbles and notes.

Finals was now upon them. That meant no Tartarus expeditions. It meant no more lazy afternoons. Instead of spending her time playing volleyball or hanging out with her friends, Hamuko was forced to sit down on a chair and study theories and equations for countless hours. Sleep now eluded her, as studying was more important than resting. Every day, the bags under Hamuko's eyes grew. The daily recommendation of eight cups of water was replaced by eight cups of coffee.

Simply put, Hamuko was in hell.

"Why can't I solve this stupid problem?" Hamuko moaned, slamming her notebook shut out of pure frustration.

"Um… Is everything alright, miss?" a man in a business suit tentatively asked.

Blushing, Hamuko waved her hands dismissively. "Sorry, I'm just a little… frustrated," she said, picking up her notebook back up to show the man the equation she was just working on.

"Ah. Finals, huh? I remember those days. Can't say I miss them," he remarked before pointing at the notebook Hamuko was holding. "Calculus, right? May I take a look?"

"Be my guest," Hamuko shrugged, handing the notebook over. "I know what the answer is, but I can't figure out how to ge-"

"Your multiplication is wrong here."

"Huh?"

"Look over here," the man said, pointing to a small equation Hamuko had written out. "You're supposed to multiply the three here by six, right? Three times six doesn't equal fifteen. It equals eighteen."

Hamuko silently stared at the paper as her mind began to slowly process what the man had just pointed out. Three times six did not equal fifteen. That meant because of one small calculation error, she was unable to solve the problem. And because of this one small calculation error, the past fifteen minutes had been a complete and utter waste of time.

"You're right… Thank you," the girl managed to grit through her teeth as she tried her best not to let out a scream.

The man, perhaps sensing Hamuko's frustration, gave an amused chuckle and handed the notebook back to her. "Well, try not to get too discouraged. Things like this happen all the time in the world of math. Just stay focused, don't give up, and you'll be fine." With that, the man gave Hamuko a friendly wave and left the girl alone to her studies.

"I need a break," Hamuko muttered to herself, still unable to believe that a simple mistake had been the sole reason for her inability to solve the problem. Standing up, the model grabbed her coffee cup and began walking towards the cash register in order to refill her cup with some warm coffee. "Maybe I'll try so-"

"Hamuko?"

Turning towards the source of the voice, Hamuko found herself face to face with one Yukari Takeba.

"Oh, hey, Yukari-chan. Getting some coffee?" the model greeted as cheerfully as possible as she got a nod in response from her friend.

"Yeah. I need a study break," the archer sighed, pulling out a small book from a bag she was carrying with her. "I hate history."

Hamuko nodded her head, understanding her friend's annoyance with the subject. Unlike solving an equation, where one could systematically figure out the problem slowly, history was something that one either knew the answer or didn't.

"A small latte, please," Yukari told the cashier before handing him a small handful of change. Sighing, Yukari sat down on a nearby chair. "So what are you doing? Studying?"

"Yeah," Hamuko said, nodding her head while giving a small sigh of her own. "Calculus to be exact."

The archer crinkled her nose in distaste. "Oh, ew. Well, I guess I rather solve problems than memorize random dates in history… I mean, who cares when the Taika Reforms happened?"

"Uh, Yukari-chan, that's actually a pretty simple question," Hamuko said with a sweat drop.

"I know. I know. Just using an example," Yukari muttered as she made her way back to the counter in order to receive her order. "Where are you sitting?"

Hamuko pointed to the small, isolated table in the corner of the café. "Over there."

The brunette took a sip over her coffee. "Well, want to just chat for a bit while I finish up my coffee? You probably need the study break too."

"Yeah, a study break sounds great," Hamuko smiled as she walked back over to her seat and motioned Yukari to take the seat across from her. "So, what's up?"

Yukari gave a small shrug. "Like I said: I'm studying and trying not to fail those tests coming up. Same as you probably."

"These exams are killing me," Hamuko moaned, wanting nothing more than to grab the scattered papers across from her and tear them to shreds. "Can't someone, I don't know, invent some kind of pill that makes you super smart?"

Yukari scoffed. "Yeah, wouldn't that be great? But until then, we're stuck doing this the old fashioned way," she replied, giving the calculus textbook a distasteful look before quickly shaking her head. "Well, at least I feel somewhat confident about calculus."

"Lucky to be you," Hamuko moaned as she picked up her textbook. "I can barely solve the problems I'm looking at right now."

The archer gave a small chuckle. "Well, you still have time to study. Why don't you ask Minato-kun for some help? Boy genius could probably point you in the right direction."

"I don't think he's going to help me anytime soon."

"Huh?"

*Flashback*

"Please, Minato-kun? Just one hour?" Hamuko pleaded, her hands tightly clasped together.

The blue haired boy, currently settled comfortably into a large chair, continued staring at the book he was reading. "I guess I can spare an hour."

Hamuko resisted the urge to grab Minato into a tight embrace. "Yay! Thank you, Minato-kun!"

"Is there anything in particular you're struggling with?" Minato asked, a single eye poking out from the book he was buried in.

"Uh, let's see…" Hamuko assumed a thinking pose. "I'm having a little struggle with substituting an integral."

"Substitution with integrals…" Minato muttered to himself. "Alright, I can he-"

"Oh, and computing complex derivatives suck too."

"…"

"And finding surface integrals."

"…"

"While we'll at it, can we go over some optimization questions too? Those can be a bit tricky for me."

"Usami."

"Yes?"

"You've just described the entire first half of our course," Minato pointed out, closing book shut before rising from his seat. A dry look was plastered on the boy's face.

"Did I?" Hamuko nervously chuckled as she scratched the back of her head. "Well, we just have a lot to work on, don't we, Mianto-kun?

"I am not a miracle worker, Usami."

"Heh, well, I'm sure you can be if you tried! If you can slay giant Shadows on a nightly basis, then I'm sure you can teach a girl simple calculus! Right? …Wait, where are you going?"

"To bed."

"Wait, what? Come back! Minato-kun! I'll, uh, buy you twenty boxes of Pocky if you help me tonight!"

"I wish you the best of luck."

"Thirty boxes!"

"Good night, Usami."

"Fifty!"

*End Flashback*

"Wow."

"Yeah," Hamuko sighed, tossing the textbook onto the table miserably. "And that was like a week ago. I tried to approach him again, but he just ran away."

"Well, to be fair, I would too," Yukari muttered before giving her friend an amused smile. "Face it, Hamuko. You're a lost cause when it comes to calculus."

"Hey!" The auburn haired girl gave a small pout.

"You know it's true," Yukari smirked, giving Hamuko a small pat on the shoulder. "At least you're not as bad in the other subjects…."

"Thanks," Hamuko moaned before shooting her friend a wry smile. "Why am I not offended by that statement?"

"Cause you know it's true."

"Yukari-chan! Not fair!"

"I'm kidding. Relax," Yukari grinned, sipping down the last of her drink. "Anyways, do you have any plans after this week? I'm thinking o-" Yukari frowned, stopping midsentence to pull out her cell phone out of her pocket. "Huh? Mitsuru-senpai is having a meeting tonight… Did you get this message?"

"Yeah, I did," Hamuko replied as the model began reading the contents of Mitsuru's text message on her phone. "Weird, Senpai should know that we have our exams right around the corner… Well, I guess this is important."

"Important enough to interrupt our studying? It better be," Yukari muttered before a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "The results Fuuka found the other night…"

"Huh? Did you say something, Yukari-chan?"

"…"

"Yukari-chan? Earth to Yukari-chan? You in there?"

"Hu-Huh? Oh, uh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something," Yukari stuttered, her eyes refocusing themselves on the girl sitting across from her.

"I noticed," Hamuko said with a look of concern. "Are you alright, Yukari-chan?"

"It's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah… It's nothing."

"We ran into a couple mishaps on the last big operation. Thankfully, nothing went wrong and the Shadow was vanquished by the combined efforts of everyone in this room. It was a difficult mission, but I can safely report this mission as a success."

"Mishaps? I guess that's another way to put 'almost losing your virginity,'" Junpei muttered to himself. Despite his low murmur, it was still loud enough for Hamuko to hear, inciting a scarlet blush from her as the memories of said night played in her mind.

Ikutsuki politely clapped his hands. "Thank you for the report, Mitsuru. While it was a little troubling to hear such coordination from the Shadows, I'm happy to announce some good news. The other da-"

"Wait, Ikutsuki-san." Yukari's sudden announcement drew raised eyebrows from everyone in the room. Instead of appearing offended, the bespectacled man merely nodded his head and motioned the girl to continue. "I'd like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something."

"Yes…?" the red haired beauty glanced curiously at the archer, who was glaring at her.

"All of the stuff that has been going on lately… it's all kind of sudden, isn't it? This entire time, I just played along with your plans without really trying to understand everything, but no more of that," Yukari announced as she took a step closer towards Mitsuru. The senior crossed her arms. "You've been hiding something from all of us, haven't you? You pretend not to know, but you do really know what's going on, don't you?"

"Yukari, what are you sayi-"

"Tartarus… The Dark Hour… Our Personas… Everything! They're all related to that accident ten years ago, aren't they?!" The slow, heated voice of Yukari was now at a shrill scream. "That explosion where all those people died… It's all connected."

Shockingly, the red haired senior flinched a little, as if she was just struck by a little bout of static electricity. After a long minute, she nodded her head.

"…Yes."

The affirmation seemed to have released all of the metaphorical flood gates within Yukari as she took another step closer to Mitsuru.

"Tell me. What happened the day of the explosion? I want to know every last detail you know right now!"

"I… I…" For once, words seemed to fail Mitsuru. The red haired beauty, wide eyed and uncertain, took a step back from the enraged Yukari before quickly regaining her composure. "I wasn't trying to hide anything from any of you. It just seemed irrelevant to me at the time. I thou-"

"It's okay, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki gently told the senior, soothingly placing his hand over Mitsuru's shoulders. "It wasn't your fault."

"Thank you," Mitsuru nodded as she sent the elder man a look of gratitude. The senior student remained motionless momentary before nodding her head. "Very well. I will tell you everything I know. Around fourteen years ago, the head of the Kirijo Group at the time discovered the existence of the Shadows. As you may know from our interactions with these Shadows, they possess many unique abilities –some of which extend to controlling space and time. While we view them as enemies, many researchers of the Kirijo Group believed that humans could exploit these incredible powers."

"What…?" Yukari muttered underneath her breath.

"My grandfather was one of those who believed that we could somehow harness the power of the Shadows. After many years, he managed to make strides in his research and collect an impressive collection of Shadows."

What?!

"Whoa whoa whoa! Senpai, no offense, but is your grandpa out of his mind?! Didn't he know how crazy and dangerous those things can be?" Junpei yelled, jumping out of his seat before being ushered back into it by Akihiko.

Mitsuru let out a mirthless chuckle. "I imagined that he did, but it is more than likely that he did not care. Of course, we paid the price for such arrogant thinking."

"What do you mean, Senpai?"

"It was during that last stages of the experiment… Ten years ago, the research team lost control of the Shadows' power. As a result from this incident, the very nature of this world was altered."

"Altered…" Fuuka murmered before her face lit up in realization. "Wait a minute, do you mean…?"

The red haired senior nodded her head gravely. "Yes. The Dark Hour and Tartarus are all results of the incident ten years ago. Furthermore, the mass collection of Shadows my grandfather possessed split into several large ones after that incident. The Full Moon Shadows that we face monthly are those very Shadows."

Unbelievable. Numbly, Hamuko sat back into her chair. Mitsuru's words lingered in her mind as the auburn haired girl slowly processed the information that was just given to her. Her slow breathing came to a freezing halt as a hypothesis hit Hamuko like a bolt of lightning. "S-Senpai."

"Yes, Usami?"

"Why does our school turn into Tartarus then?"

"…"

"N-No way," Hamuko muttered to herself.

"What? Hamu-tan? Why are you so pale all of a sudden? What's going on?"

Mitsuru sighed, her ruby eyes glazed with shame. "Our school, Gekkoukan High School, was where the Kirijo Group performed its experiments."

A chilling silence fell upon the group as Mitsuru's words sunk in. The newer members wordlessly looked at each in shock and realization.

"So we're just cleaning up after your company's mistakes? This entire time… All that stuff about protecting the city and saving the innocent… It was all a lie?!" Yukari shouted, her eyes reddening as a tear slowly dripped from her right eye.

There were no words that could describe the utter look of guilt that Mitsuru gave. The senior uncharacteristically took a step back from the angry Yukari.

"And you!" Yukari spun around and whipped a finger at Akihiko, who flinched back slightly. "You knew all along didn't you?! The Kirijo Group has been using us this whole time, and you didn't say anything? Or do you not give a damn as long as you can actually fight something?"

"That's enough."

Despite the strong words that came from Mitsuru, the small tremor and crestfallen look she gave did little to reinforce her words. Nevertheless, Yukari relented. The senior took her underclassman's silence as a sign to continue talking.

"I… I do not blame you for thinking like that. I must take full responsibility for not sharing this all with you. I'm sorry –I did not intend to deceive all of you," Mitsuru began as she gave each and every member of S.E.E.S. an earnest look into the eyes. "But convincing you to join this group was of my highest priority. As absurd as it may sound… As unfair and ridiculous as it may sound… We are the only ones with the powers to fight back."

"So that justify lying t-"

"Besides..." The aura of misery Mitsuru gave made Yukari stop mid-tirade. "Some of us don't even have a choice."

"Mitsuru. Don't..." Akihiko muttered gently as he helped Mitsuru into a seat. The boxer gazed tenderly at the troubled girl in front of him.

Perhaps sensing the extreme distress Mitsuru was going through, Yukari backed off, retreating into a chair of her own. A deep, brooding expression overtook her facial expression as she placed her chin in her right palm.

"Yukari." Ikutsuki's simple voice garnered the attention of everyone in the room. The older man smiled and placed a comforting hand on Yukari's shoulder. "I understand your anger, but the blame is not to be placed on Mitsuru: it's on those who committed those acts in the past," he explained softly with a kind smile. "And they paid the price with their lives. Unfortunately, it is the current generation that has to fix the problems the older one has left."

"I… I…" Yukari began, her voice and right arm trembling.

"But this can all be fixed."

It only a second for Ikutsuki's words to fully sink in. Almost instantly, shouts of surprise and incredulous disbelief echoed across the room. Ikutsuki merely chuckled before holding up a hand to quell the storm.

"The good news I was about to announce: this was precisely that," he explained as he walked towards the center of the room. "As I explained previously, there are reasons to believe that there are twelve Full Moon Shadows based on the twelve arcanas. My research has led me to believe that those twelve Shadows are the cause of our dilemma."

"Hold it... So if we get rid of all of them…"

"Precisely, Akihiko-kun! Defeating all twelve will disperse Tartarus and the Dark Hour!" Ikutsuki beamed. "Isn't this fantastic?"

Indeed it was. Hamuko could barely contain her excitement as an image of the Dark Hour finally disappearing flashed in her mind. "Wait, are you sure this is true?"

"There's actually evidence to support it," Ikutsuki responded, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "While the past pains us, we must fight to protect the future. The Shadows, as you may already noticed, are only gaining in strength. We cannot afford to remain idle."

"I see," Yukari mused. "At least we know that we can stop all of this."

"Anyways, while the meeting turned south, at least we can end this night on a positive note," Ikutsuki said. "Smile a bit, Mitsuru, Yukari. There is a solution to all of this after all."

"I suppose you are right, Chairman," Mitsuru said as he rose up from her chair. Her normal, regal demeanor was back once again. "I apologize for my unsightly behavior tonight. Good night, everyone." With that, the school president retreated down the stairs.

"Well, I think it's time for me to head out as well. Sweet dreams everyone!" Ikutsuki announced, a cheerful smile on his face despite the heavy subject that was still in the air.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh, Yuka-tan?" Junpei inquired moments shortly after the bespectacled man's departure. "I mean, I know it sucks that we were lied to, but if you really think about it, Senpai really had no choice. We're the only ones that can actually fight these things! Imagine if we said 'no.'"

"Not now, Junpei," Yukari sighed back, sinking further into her chair. Her previous rage was gone, exhaustion remaining in its place.

"If you say so." Junpei gave Yukari a meaningful look. "Well? What now, guys?"

What now indeed. Hamuko closed her eyes and slowly processed everything that had happened. Interestingly, despite being lied to, the auburn haired girl felt no anger or animosity towards her upperclassman. The answer to Junpei's question came as quickly as it was asked.

"We fight."

All eyes stared at their leader who now stood a bit awkwardly at the sudden attention.

"I mean, what else can we do, right? We're the only ones who can fight. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to see this city being overrun by the Shadows."

"Well, it appears that our once lever-guessing leader has blossomed into quite the impressive one," Minato quietly remarked, a wry smile on his face.

"S-Shut up, Minato-kun!"

"In all seriousness, however, I will have to agree with Usami," Minato said.

"Same over here," Junpei declared. "There's no way in hell I'm letting those things attack my city. Not on my watch!"

"I'm in as well," Akihiko softly said as he nodded his head in agreement.

"As am I." Fuuka, despite her usually tentative nature, stood resolutely.

"Well, Yuka-tan? Are you in or not?" Junpei asked the archer.

"Shut up, Stupei. Just because I don't appreciate being lied to doesn't mean I'm not going get rid of these things," Yukari scowled. "I just don't like being lied to. Besides…."

"Besides…?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Yukari curtly muttered, whipping around so that her back would face everyone else. "I think I'm going to bed now. Night."

"Sheesh, what's her problem?" Junpei said with a roll of his eyes as soon as Yukari left the room. "Is it already that time of the mon-"

"Why don't we give Yukari-chan some space for now?" Hamuko interjected smoothly. The rest of the group agreed. Sighing a sigh of relief, Hamuko glanced at the moon that was shining brilliantly in the sky.

Only six more to go.

Iwatodai Dorm, Tokyo, Japan

7/12/2009

"It's so good to see you again."

Gasping, Hamuko found herself suddenly waking up to a familiar chilly presence. Pharos stood happily at the corner of Hamuko's bed.

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" he asked cheerfully, hopping onto the bed as his bright blue eyes shined with mirth. "Well?"

"Well…?" Hamuko asked in a slightly grumpy tone. She did not enjoy being woken up at this particular time. Honestly, couldn't he come at a better time? Say at lunch or dinner?

"How are you enjoying being a Persona user?" Pharos giggled, acting as if Hamuko had just asked him if the sky was blue (or green in this case).

"It's… It's fulfilling, I suppose."

"That's wonderful to hear," the small child smiled, crawling closer to Hamuko. Surprisingly, the close proximity did not bother Hamuko as much as it used to. Perhaps she was getting used to the boy's unique quirks and need to be in close distance? As quickly as it came, the smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. "Well, I did not come here to discuss your abilities and life. I came here to tell you that I remembered something else about the End."

"The End…"

"Yes. You remember what I told you before, right? Well, it all goes back to an event that occurred ten years ago."

"Ten years ago…?"

Yes. If I remember correctly, isn't that when your parents died?"

A pang of sadness washed over Hamuko as memories from long ago flooded her. Flashbacks of her parents' demise played themselves in her mind.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I did not mean to bring back such horrible memories."

"It's okay," Hamuko muttered, her cherry red eyes unable to meet Pharos' brilliant blue ones. "You didn't mean to." Shaking her head, Hamuko asked the small boy another question in order to steer the conversation in another direction. "Do you remember anything else?"

"No…." Immediately, sadness took over Pharos's face. "As hard as I try, nothing seems to come up. Are… Are you mad at me for not remembering?"

"Of course not, Pharos," Hamuko replied, shaking her head reassuringly. "You tried your best."

"I feel like I have failed you as a friend," he explained slowly. "I force you to relive your horrible memories, and then I fail to remember something as important as this."

"Pharos, it's fine. Really. Don't worry about it." The look that Pharos gave Hamuko, however, confirmed Hamuko's suspicions that he still felt guilty over everything. Sighing, the girl slowly raised a hand and placed it over Pharos's head. Ignoring the inquisitive look he gave Hamuko, the girl slowly ruffled his hair. "It's fine."

The boy stood rigidly as Hamuko finished up her impromptu ruffling. When the girl withdrew her hand, the boy cocked his head to the side and asked, "Why did you just do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you touch my hair like that?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess it just felt like it was the right thing to do at the time…" Hamuko gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, did you not like it?"

"… Is this what friends do to each other?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, kind of?"

Silently, the boy stood up and reached for Hamuko's hair. Moments later, the boy's small hands coursed through Hamuko's silky auburn hair, leaving Hamuko's hair looking like a bird's nest. A victorious smile was on his face.

"There."

"There," Hamuko responded with an amused smile. For a child who once creeped her out, Pharos was proving to be quite the unique character.

"I quite like it when you did that, Hamuko. Can you do that again next time?"

"Uh, sure."

"Thank you." Smiling, the boy gave Hamuko's hair one last tousle before stepping away from the bed and into the Shadows. "It is time for me to go. Until next time, friend…"

The familiar sound of glass shattering echoed in Hamuko's mind as a warm feeling spread throughout her heart. Giving her own smile, Hamuko pulled her covers over her head.

"Until next time, Pharos."

Gekkoukan High School

7/18/2009

Victory –she could almost taste it. Gritting her teeth in determination, Hamuko forced herself to stare down at the adversary that was right in front of her. Losing focus before the end of the battle could spell her doom; thus, it was essential that she did not make a mistake. Next to the model, Yukari and Junpei silently studied the same enemy with analytical eyes.

They would not lose.

Slowly, Hamuko brandished the weapon that she had been using and gave it an experimental twirl. The small remaining bit of saliva that had been forming around the corner of her mouth was swallowed. A small smile crept is way onto Hamuko's face as her brain finally figured out a way to slay the foul beast. Now all that left was to finish this problem and then she cou-

"Alright then, time is up! Pencils down! And that means you too, Iori!"

DAMMIT!

Biting back the curse that almost slipped out of her mouth, Hamuko dropped the pencil was holding and reluctantly pushed her test in front of her.

She was so close.

"God…. That was painful," Junpei moaned out as he lazily flicked his pencil off his desk. "Hey, Hamu-tan, what do you want to do af-"

"Oi, Iori, no talking," the proctor barked. "You can discuss that kind of stuff once you're out of the classroom."

"Yeah yeah."

One by one, each student filed out of the classroom. Some had satisfied looks on their faces while the others prayed to whatever deity they believed in. Junpei, for example, seemed hell-bent on making plea bargains to "the god of school and grades."

"Well, at least we're all done now," Hamuko sighed as she already began the familiar cycle of erasing the test she just took from her memory.

"Tell me about it," Junpei grumbled next to the model, finishing up with his prayers. "Gah, I can't wait till I can crash my bed."

"I'd have to agree with you right there," Yukari said, popping up from behind. A scowl marred the archer's usually cute features. "What did you guys get for number s-"

"Please, Yuka-tan! Can we not talk about that horrible thing we just took? Why don't we talk about, I don't know, baseball? Or how about that new udon place that opened up near the dorms? Anything but that test," Junpei groaned. Silently, Hamuko agreed whole-heartedly with his sentiments. While the model felt much more confident this time around, the test they had just taken, Calculus, was a rather sore subject for her.

"Alright," Yukari relented before breaking out into a long sigh. "I guess I don't blame you for thinking like that. I don't know why, but that test was so much harder that I thought it would be. Isn't that right, Minato-kun?"

Slightly surprised, Hamuko turned her head to the right as she finally noticed the silent blue haired teen walking with them. After pondering for a quick second, Minato gave a shrug in response to which Hamuko could only snort.

Typical Minato.

"Why am I not surprised," Yukari sighed. Suddenly, the archer snapped her fingers. "Ah, I left some of my stuff at the range. Why don't you guys go on ahead? I'll catch up later tonight." After a quick farewell, Yukari walked in the opposite direction of the group, leaving the remaining trio alone.

"Actually, I'm pretty hungry right now. I could go for some noodles right now. Remember that udon place I mentioned earlier? I think I'm going to go check it out right now. You guys wanna come?" Junpei invited with an enthusiastic grin on his face.

"Hmm, actually, udon sounds awesome right now," Hamuko nodded. According to a friend of hers, the udon stand Junpei had mentioned was quite good. Plus, she had skipped breakfast that morning in order to cram in a little bit of study time. "What about you, Minato-kun?"

"I think I may have to pass," Minato responded, giving Junpei and Hamuko another small shrug. Smiling ever so slightly, he gave the two a small wave. "I'll see you two at the dorm then."

"Your loss," Hamuko called out at Minato's retreating figure as she broke out into a wide smile. "Well then, Junpei-kun, shall we get going?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Surprisingly, the walk to the udon stand was relatively quiet considering Junpei's boisterous nature and Hamuko's social one. It was only when a steaming bowl of udon was placed in front of them did Junpei finally begin talking.

"Hey, Hamuko?

"Yes…?" Hamuko asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. No Hamu-tan or other nickname?

The baseball loving teen cleared his throat and pushed his bowl of udon to the side. His right hand began scratching the back of his head as other hand adjusted his cap. "Well, this has been bugging me for a while actually… And I really don't know how to say this…" A rare sheepish look was Junpei's face. "Do you remember when we first, y'know, joined S.E.E.S.?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I don't know if you remember, but I was a real dick to you. I was, well, jealous."

That took shocked Hamuko a little. Junpei was jealous? Biting her lips, Hamuko searched her memories for any insistence where Junpei exhibited such feelings.

As Hamuko scrunched her face in an attempt to recall such memories, Junpei gave a gentle laugh. With a small smirk, he tapped his right temple his right index finger.

"I didn't really show it, you know," he said amusingly as he reached over for his udon bowl. Instead of eating from the hot bowl, however, Junpei merely stared at the bowl. "I was actually super jealous. I really thought I could be the leader at the time. It's actually kinda stupid, but I guess I was mad that I was beaten by, you know, a girl.

"Junpei-kun…"

"I'm sure you've noticed, but I'm far from Mr. Perfect. So imagine my surprise when Akihiko-senpai tells me I have this power that can help save the world. For once, I didn't feel completely useless." Junpei closed his eyes. "I guess I got a little carried away and thought I could become the main hero of the story for a change."

"I-"

"But you proved me wrong." His eyes opened, revealing Junpei's gray eyes. Complete trust shined within his eyes as Junpei flashed Hamuko a smile so genuine that she couldn't help but feel touched by her friend's sincerity. "So many people would have chickened out under all that pressure, but you didn't… And I really admire that. I guess what I'm trying to say is after all this is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for acting like such an ass all this time, and I'm thankful for meeting you."

The small warmth that Hamuko felt in her chest erupted into an inferno. Hamuko was positive that a stupid grin was on her face. Really, how could she possibly respond to something like this? Hamuko had absolutely no clue.

So she gave Junpei a good whack on the head.

"Ow!"

"Junpei-kun, you're an idiot."

"Gah?!"

Without answering her friend, Hamuko merely returned to her bowl of udon and began to slurp up some of the noodles.

"Hey! A guy makes an awesome speech like that and you just hit and ignore him just like that?! What gives, Hamu-tan?"

"Just eat your udon noodles, Junpei-kun."

And amidst Junpei's loud complaints, Hamuko couldn't help but smile brightly. Her eyes glistened happily as she stole glances at her grumbling friend when he wasn't looking.

Really, she was the one who should be thankful –she didn't deserve a friend as good as Junpei Iori.

Cherry red eyes careful studied the child that was calmly analyzing his own surroundings. His short, stylish brown hair became slightly ruffled when he ran a hand through it.

"Hello, my name is Ken Amada," he quietly said. A tiny smile appeared on his face as Ken bowed his head in respect. "I hope we can all get along."

"He's really polite," Hamuko thought to herself as she waved a hand at Ken. It was actually a tad bit unusual to see someone this young to be this polite and well-mannered, but Hamuko paid little mind to it. After all, who was she to judge people just based on manners?

Ken gave a small wave back, his eyes averting Hamuko's the entire time much to her confusion.

"Well, anyways, I've decided to move Ken-kun over here to our dorms. I do hope you youngsters treat him well," Ikutsuki said, giving a slight cough into the back of his hands.

Several eyes opened in surprise at the sudden announcement. Not allowing anyone else to continue, the bespectacled man quickly continued.

"Ken-kun is currently staying at his elementary school dorm by himself, and that's no way for someone like Ken-kun to live. By bringing him to the dorm, I hope to foster an atmosphere that could be a positive factor in his life."

"But why is he living by himself?" Junpei asked curiously.

Instantly, somber looks appeared on the faces of Akihiko, Ikutsuki, and Ken. The other members in the room, noticing the expressions on their faces, knew that they had just stepped on the metaphorical landmine.

"My… My mom and I were in an accident two years ago," Ken softly began. Two tiny fists clenched themselves tightly. "I managed to come out of the experience alive, but my mom wasn't as lucky as me."

"Hamuko-chan, I don't think this home can house you any longer. We'll going to have to send you to your aunt in Kyoto now. I'm really sorry… This is the third time already, isn't it? It must be hard on a child like you."

"No, it's okay, Uncle! I'll be okay, really! I'm a strong girl, so I'll be fine!"

"Hamuko-chan, you don't have to put up a strong front…"

"Uncle, trust me, I'll be fine. I wouldn't be my parents' daughter if I couldn't go through something like this!"

"Uh, Hamuko, what are you doing?"

"H-Huh?"

Opening her eyes, Hamuko found herself inches away from a wide-eyed Ken. Childish curiosity shined in his eyes as he stared at the model who was in front of him. Not a hint of rejection or fear emitted from the boy –only curiosity.

"S-Sorry, Ken-kun!" Hamuko squeaked, leaping back frantically. A hand immediately shot over her now reddening face. "I don't know what came over me."

"No, it's okay," Ken gently smiled along with a polite laugh. "You just surprised me a little, that's all."

"Ahem."

The sound of a throat being cleared brought Hamuko back down. Mentally scolding herself, the model focused her attention onto the man who had just garnered her attention.

"Well, then, as I was saying, I hope you all welcome Ken-kun here," Ikutsuki announced, patting Ken gently on the head.

"Thank you for having me here," Ken said, bowing his head once more. "Ikutsuki-san, may I bring my luggage to my room?"

"Ah, yes. Why don't you wait outside for a quick second while I finish up this meeting? I'll send Akihiko-kun over here to help you as soon as we're done."

Muttering a quiet affirmative, the elementary school child rose from his seat and walked out the door. As soon as Ken left the room, the pleasant smile on Ikutsuki's face disappeared.

"I did not wish to talk about this while Ken-kun was in the room, but observations have led me to believe that he has the potential."

"W-What?!"

Several eyes widened in shock as an unusually emotional Akihiko jumped from his seat. Realizing what he had just done, the boxer shook his head and sat back down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to act like that. Anyways, does that mean Ken is going to join us?"

"For now, no. He's just an elementary school student. We'll continue to carefully observe Ken-kun and see how this all develops. Until we announce his official induction, please refrain from speaking too much about S.E.E.S. around him." The older man gave a pause before lightly hitting his fist into an open palm. "Ah, yes, and I was seriously about creating a positive environment for Ken-kun. I cannot foresee Ken-kun being a problem for us, so please be as cordial and open with him."

Mutters of affirmation went about before Ikutsuki gave a satisfied nod. "Excellent. In that case, this meeting is now over. Akihiko-kun, would you please help Ken-kun move his luggage into his room? I believe Ken-kun already knows which room is his."

"…"

"Akihiko-kun?"

"Ah, sorry," the boxer said. "I'll go help Ken right now."

"Huh, is it just me, or is Senpai a little jumpy today?" Junpei asked once the upperclassman had left the room. "I don't think I've ever seen him this spaced out before!"

"He seemed pretty shocked when he though Ken-kun was going to join us," Yukari said thoughtfully as she gazed distantly at the spot where Akihiko once sat. "Maybe he just didn't expect someone so young to suddenly have a chance to fight the Shadows with us."

"Or maybe he's just tired –he did go really hard when we went into Tartarus last time," Junpei countered before shrugging his shoulders. "What do you think, Hamu-tan?"

"…"

"Hamu-tan."

"…"

"Oi, Hamu-tan, you there?"

"O-Oh! Sorry, Junpei-kun, what were you saying?"

"Great, we have another spacer," Junpei sighed dramatically, mischievous undertones laced his voice. "We were wondering why Akihiko-senpai seemed so out of it today."

"Oh, uh, maybe he's just tired from all that fighting. He was really putting himself out there last time," Hamuko muttered.

Junpei gave a sigh. "Hamu-tan, I just said that. You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Great. I think I'm going to bed actually. I have to wake up early tomorrow for something anyways. Good night, everyone," Hamuko quickly said, excusing herself from the room despite the protests and calls from her friends. Instead of going back to her room, the auburn haired mindlessly wandered into the living room.

"-xer, Sanada-senpai. I heard you've never lost a match!"

"Huh? Um… Yeah, I guess so."

Not wanting to eavesdrop, Hamuko cleared her throat in order to make her presence known to the two males in the room. Smiling an awkward smile, Hamuko asked, "Do you guys need help getting Ken-kun's stuff into his room?"

Ken shook his head. "No, I think we're almost done, ma'am."

Ma'am? Shaking her head, Hamuko gave Ken a small smile. "Actually, I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Hamuko Usami. I don't really care much about honorifics, so feel free to call me by my first name."

"Nice to meet you, Usami-senpai."

Wow. He really was a polite kid. Blinking, Hamuko stared blankly at Ken. "Well, that works too, I guess. Anyways, are you sure you guys are okay?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a small hand," Akihiko responded, the small look he sent to Hamuko indicating that he would greatly appreciate her help. The look of relief did not escape Hamuko as she nodded her head in agreement. Weird. Didn't Ken just say that they were almost done? Why was Akihiko acting like this? Maybe Akihiko felt uneasy around children?

"Anyways, it's a real pleasure to meet you, Sanada-senpai!"

"Y-Yeah. The pleasure is all mine."

Or maybe just around Ken.

Shrugging her shoulders, Hamuko picked up a rather small box and proceeded to walk up the stairs to the second floor. The rattling sound of plastic hitting plastic sounded, combined with the extremely light weight of the box, made Hamuko blink in curiosity.

"Ken-kun."

"Yes, Usami-senpai?"

"Do you mind telling me what's in this box?"

Suddenly, the small boy froze in his tracks. All signs of politeness and maturity vanished as a small speck of red colored his face.

"N-Nothing really. Just some papers and school supplies."

That made Hamuko frown. "Really? These don't sound like a bunch of papers to me," she said, giving the box a small shake to prove her point.

"It's nothing, Senpai. Anyways, this is my room. Thank you for helping me! Good night!" The door to Ken's room slammed shut as the boy quickly took the box off Hamuko's hands. Akihiko and Hamuko stood in the boy's floor, wondering what had just happened. With a small shrug, Akihiko began making his way towards his room.

"Well, I guess that's that. I'll see you in the morning, Hamuko."

"Good night, Senpai."

The door to Akihiko's room closed as well, leaving Hamuko all alone in the hall.

"Ken-kun, huh? So he's just like me…"

Beach, Yakushima, Japan

7/20/2009

"YAHOOOOO!" Junpei cheered as the boy wildly tore down the sandy beach of Yakushima while pumping his fists repeatedly. Behind him, Minato and Akihiko silently followed the overly-excited Junpei with their eyes downcast. Hamuko could already tell from the looks on their faces that the two boys were ashamed to actually know Junpei, who was already attracting the attention of half the beach.

"Geez, Stupei, can you tone it down a bit? People are staring at you," Yukari scowled, sharing the same thoughts of Minato and Akihiko. Resting on the archer's shoulders were a pink towel and a large umbrella. Hamuko made a mental note to join her friend under the umbrella later on.

"C'mon, Yukari-chan, you got to admit: it's pretty cute watching Junpei-kun act like that…. He's like a little kid on Christmas day," Hamuko giggled, watching the hyperactive Junpei drag an emotionless Minato by the arm around the beach. To be fair, Hamuko did not blame Junpei's child-like reaction to their arrival. When Ikutsuki had suggested the trip to the beach, the group (or rather Junpei) immediately jumped at the idea of a small beach vacation. It was a much needed respite after all the recent events.

Yukari rolled her eyes and began searching for a spot to set up her umbrella. "I wouldn't use the word 'cute' to describe him… But I guess it is pretty amusing watching him make a fool out of himself," the archer smirked, stabbing the umbrella into the soft sands below. "I mean, wh-"

"Woohoo! Look what we have here?" Junpei interrupted with a rather lecherous grin on his face. Giving a loud wolf whistle, Junpei began to move his eyes up and down the bodies of the two girls.

Suddenly, Hamuko felt a lot more self-conscious about herself as a hand unconsciously shot to cover up her chest.

"J-Junpei-kun, stop it…" Hamuko murmured with a blush as she turned her body away from the close scrutiny of one Junpei Iori.

"Eheheh, no need to be shy, Hamu-tan… Just show the world what you're ma-OW!"

"Idiot," Yukari muttered simply, wiping her hands clean of the invisible dust. "Would it kill you to not be a walking sexual harassment for once?"

"Meh, that's no fun," Junpei scoffed as he waved a hand dismissively. The same lecherous grin appeared on the boy's face as Junpei began to slowly circle around the two girls. "Wow, Yuka-tan, you chose a pretty daring swimsuit if I say so myself. Hot… Revealing… What more could a guy ask for?"

Hamuko resisted the urge to promptly plant her face into the palm of her hand. Was it sad that Junpei didn't even bother denying that he was a walking sexual harassment?

"Stupei…" Yukari growled dangerously nearby. Hamuko could already make out an angry vein popping out of her friend's forehead. Despite Junpei's rather crude way of describing the archer, he was right: Yukari had chosen a rather bold swimsuit to wear. The pink and blue bikini top combined with the extremely low-cut jeans shorts gave Yukari the interesting mix of cute and sexy.

"And how could I forget our absolutely gorgeous leader over here? Such a cute ribbon bikini that definitely highlights the best of her features… A perfect ten if I say so myself," Junpei continued bringing Hamuko out of her thoughts. The hormonal teenage boy was now well on a roll with his commentary. "Those curves… Hmm… Just wow… I could see why our leader here was chosen to feature in all those magazines."

Clearing her throat, the girl gently placed a hand on the energetic Junpei's shoulder. "Junpei-kun? I think you should stop, uh, examining us."

"Hmm? Why's zat, Hamu-tan? Too modest about your figure?"

Without saying another word, the model pointed to the now trembling Yukari. An all-too fake smile was plastered on the archer's face as Hamuko could already see the imaginary flames roaring in the background. Junpei, now keenly well aware of his predicament, slowly began backing up.

"Haha…. Now now, Yuka-tan, no need to be angry. I was just joking," Junpei nervously chuckled, grabbing Hamuko by the shoulders and hiding behind said girl.

Yukari stepped forward, eyes flashing dangerously as the girl threateningly shook her fist at the now quivering Junpei. "One reason, Stupei. Give me one reason not to end your life right now."

"Because you are a beautiful person and beautiful people don't do ugly things like beating up the weak and defenseless?"

Hamuko could only shake her head in amusement as she witnessed Junpei become the first human rocket courtesy of one Yukari Takeba.

"Really, Yukari-chan, do you have to hurt Junpei-kun like that?" Hamuko giggled, producing a bottle of sunscreen from a bag she had carrying. The model motioned her friend to come closer.

"If I don't, he's just going to continue making those perverted comments," Yukari replied, allowing Hamuko to apply sunscreen all over her back. The archer gave a wry smile before shaking her head. "Although I guess this sort of stuff is like a routine for us now. He makes a stupid comment, and I hit him for it. Rinse, rather, and repeat."

"Hmm… Just like an old married couple," Hamuko grinned deviously as the girl finished applying sunscreen to her friend.

Instead of blushing or even appearing flustered like Hamuko had expected, the archer just gave a sigh. "Oh please. Married couple? That's more like you and Minato-kun."

"Y-Yukari-chan!" Hamuko sputtered, suddenly fumbling the bottle of sunscreen she was holding.

"Oh, relax, it's just a joke," Yukari smirked, snatching the bottle from Hamuko turning the other girl around. "Here, let me help you."

Sighing, Hamuko shot the brunette a look of gratitude. "So where's everyone else?"

"I don't know… Mitsuru-senpai said that she was going to take a little bit longer, but I don't know about Fuuka… Maybe they're coming down together?" Yukari shrugged as she applied sunscreen all over Hamuko's back.

"Mmm. That makes sense…" Hamuko muttered. "Thanks for helping me with the sunscreen, Yukari-chan."

"Yeah, no problem," Yukari replied as the archer began stretching out her arms. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to take this opportunity to catch some sun. Get some rest and relaxation for a change after all… that."

Hamuko could easily detect the uneasiness in her friend but opted to remain quiet. Yukari was clearly still affected by recent events and pressing her would only serve to aggravate her. Not exactly the best way to kick start a vacation. "Alright. I guess I'll ju-"

"Hamuko-chan! Yukari-chan!" a familiar voice called out in the far distance. Hamuko grinned as Fuuka came running down the beach. Behind her, a regal looking Mitsuru followed closely.

"Fuuka-chan! Mitsuru-senpai! You made it!" Hamuko grinned, running over to greet the newly arrived duo. After exchanging greetings, Hamuko subtly studied the two newly arrived girls. Fuuka was wearing a simple green two-piece that provided the sensor of S.E.E.S. a decent amount of modesty. Instantly, the word "cute" came to mind with Fuuka. Mitsuru, on the other hand, was wearing a stunning cream bikini that was adorned with a bright red flower. Without a doubt, Mitsuru was the epitome of beauty and dignity. "Wow… You guys look great."

"Yeah…" Yukari quietly agreed as the archer stared at the now blushing Mitsuru. "Senpai, your skin is absolutely flawless…"

"R-Really? T-Thank you, Takeba," Mitsuru stammered much to the rest of the girls' amusement. It wasn't every day you managed to witness a blushing Mitsuru Kirijo.

"Wow," Junpei's voice called out from behind. Apparently, the boisterous boy had mustered up the courage to return and ogle once more. "Is it just me, or is it getting pretty hot right now? Hey, Akihiko-senpai! Minato! Come over here!"

"You called?" the boxer asked as he trotted over towards the group. It was then Hamuko realized how… small the senior's swimsuit was. Thankfully, the upperclassman had opted to wear a plain white t-shirt that somewhat drew attention away the swimsuit. Unable to contain the small blush that was creeping up, Hamuko quickly turned her head the other way.

"Um… Senpai, aren't those trunks a little…"

"Tight?" Yukari finished with a nervous look on her face. Apparently, Hamuko was not the only one affected by the boxer's choice in swimming attire.

Akihiko gave a small chuckle in response. "What, you don't know? This swimsuit will let m-"

"It's quite alright, Senpai. We get it," Hamuko cut in, not wanting to hear the justification behind Akihiko's swimsuit as she eyed the boxer's unique choice once again. Some things were just better left alone.

The boxer shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so." He turned his attention towards Junpei. "So? Why did you call me and Minato over?"

Immediately, a familiar lecherous grin flashed on Junpei's face. "Why else do you think I called the men of our group over? Take a look! The ladies over here spent a decent amount of time considering what to wear for our little vacation. It wouldn't do them justice if we didn't, y'know, admire them a little."

"Are you being serious, Junpei?" Akihiko deadpanned, shooting the grinning teen a look of annoyance. "Please tell me that you're joking."

"Why would I be?"

"I have better things to do than this…" the senior muttered, already prepared to leave and end the conversation. Unfortunately for the boxer, Junpei wasn't going to let Akihiko leave that easily.

"Nuh-uh! I'm not letting you go until you tell me which one of these girls is your type!" Junpei announced loudly, quickly maneuvering his way to cut Akihiko from taking off.

"Urg, really, Stupei? Are you really going to do that sort of thing right now?" Yukari said, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "Especially in front of us?"

"Heh, sorry, Yuka-tan, but this is a male exclusive conversation." With that, Junpei grabbed the other two boys into a tight huddle.

While the male group tried their best to talk in hushed voices, Hamuko could make out bits and parts of their conversation that leaked out.

"…No way? Her? Aki… Really?"

"S-Shut it… -pei…"

"…-ato? What about you?"

"Yeah, tell us!"

"I refuse."

"… not letting you…"

"Oh… C'mon… Ju…"

Grinning deviously, the auburn haired girl inched her way closer to the group's quiet conversation. Then, without warning, Hamuko pushed a startled Junpei out of the way and tightly wrapped her arms around the shoulders of Akihiko and Minato. "So, what type of girl is your type?" she asked innocently, mentally giggling as the now sputtering Junpei attempted to push her out of their little circle.

"Hey, Hamu-tan, didn't you hear earlier? This is a male exclu… -oof!"

"So… What type of girl?" Hamuko repeated, the innocent smile still plastered on her face as she ignored Yukari "gently" shoving Junpei away from the group. Apparently, the archer was just as curious as Hamuko to hear what Akhiko and Minato had to say.

"I don't know," Akihiko replied as he gave a small shrug. "Besides, I don't really have time to have for a girlfriend."

"That's not what you said earlier, Senpai," Minato quietly said with an amused smile. Instantly, the boxer's face lit crimson as incoherent words began spewing out of the older male. "I believe you mentioned tha-"

"T-That's quite enough, Minato," Akihiko interrupted, shoving a hand in front of Minato's mouth. The upperclassman quickly composed himself and gave a small cough. "What I'm trying to say is that I have a type, but none of you are my type."

The model shot Akihiko a mock glare while Yukari followed up with light finger jab to his stomach. "So are you suggesting that none of us are beautiful enough to grab your attention?" Hamuko asked as she placed her hands on her hips. The model did her best to squash the urge to laugh as she watched the boxer's cheeks blush red again.

"Urg, so troublesome," Akihiko muttered, turning his body the other way to save himself the bother of answering Hamuko's question.

"Aw, Yukari-chan and I are just messing with you, Senpai," Hamuko giggled, though the model could see disappointment quickly flash in the archer's eyes. Apparently, the gossiper within Yukari was dying to know what sort of girl the most popular boy at school preferred. "Not that I blame her," Hamuko thought to herself. It definitely would have been interesting to find out Akihiko's type. Shaking her head, the model turned her attention to the quietest member of the group. "So, what about you, Minato-kun?"

The blue haired boy gave a small shrug. "I don't have a type."

"I doubt that," Hamuko said while rolling her eyes. "How about Yukari-chan?"

"Not my type."

"Mitsuru-senpai?"

"No."

"Fuuka-chan?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Me?"

"Most definitely not," Minato dryly replied with a wry smile. The immediate rejection sparked a hint of annoyance with the girl. Frowning, Hamuko fell silent for a couple of seconds before another thought slowly consumed her.

"Hey, Minato-kun?

"…?"

"So none of us are your type?"

"I believe I have mentioned that."

"Are you sure that you're interested in girls?"

A heavy silence fell between the two models. While the question had been intended as a joke at first, Hamuko found herself growing more and more curious the more she thought about it. Nearby, Yukari's eyes expanded exponentially as she shot a hand to cover her mouth. Akihiko remained rooted in his spot, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Surprisingly, Junpei's reaction seemed the most calm as the usually hormonal teen shot Hamuko a dry look.

"I mean, you're always so calm and quiet around the girls at school. You get so much attention from them, and yet, you always ignore them," Hamuko said, noticing a slight twitch in Minato's facial expression.

"Usami…"

"I don't think you've shown the slightest bit of interest in any girls since I've met you," Hamuko continued, ignoring the blatant look of annoyance on her friend's face. "Not once."

"Usami, I am simply not interested in pursuing a relationship at the moment. That is all."

"Really?" Hamuko asked with a teasing grin. "I don't believe you. I bet yo-"

"Perish those thoughts, Usami."

"I'm just saying. You know, the more you deny it, the more suspicious you look," Hamuko smirked, relishing in the one of the rare moments where she out-sparred Minato in their little verbal wars. Sensing the opportunity to cause her stoic friend more discomfort, Hamuko leaned in closer and continued her assault. "So? Why don't you show any interest? Why not get into a relationship?"

"…"

"Well?"

"…"

"See? I kn-"

"Because for someone like me, relationships are pointless. There is absolutely no reason for me to become close with another person."

Silence settled between the two once again. Only this time, the atmosphere had turned icy cold. Minato, usually aloof and stoic, averted the gaze of his fellow S.E.E.S. members. A bitter smile flashed on his face.

"Just what was that about?" Hamuko thought to herself as felt situation turn immensely awkward for everyone in the vicinity. Unfortunately for the girl, she couldn't come up with anything to say in order to alleviate the situation.

"We are only high school students."

"Huh?"

"It's common knowledge that high school relationships don't last very long. Why get into a relationship with someone when you both know that it will probably not last very long?" Minato explained, his stoic face back in its place. The blue haired boy shrugged his shoulders. "I will only date someone whom I feel I can get into a long and serious relationship with… As enticing it may be, chasing skirts like Iori over there is something I feel that is a waste of time."

"Right," Hamuko replied, lacing her tone with sarcasm. Relief spread throughout the model. Luckily for her, Minato's explanation had pretty much vanquished the awkward tension that had slowly been settling in. Not wanting to let the situation turn south again, Hamuko threw Minato her best sneer. "Cause that's really believable."

"Whatever suits you best, Usami," Minato said, a small smile making its way onto the blue haired boy's face. "Since you are so keen on the topic of relationships, why don't you focus on acquiring a boyfriend for yourself instead of questioning what sort of girl I prefer? Unless, of course, you are only asking these questions in order find out what type of girl I prefer in order to better your own chances with me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Minato-kun," Hamuko replied, throwing her blue haired companion another sneer.

"Really now, Usami?" Minato chuckled as his eyes contained gleams of amusement. "Keep this up, and I'm afraid your face will freeze into the sneer of yours."

"Whatever," Hamuko replied, playfully throwing a punch at Minato's left shoulder. "The same could be said about that emotionless face of yours... though it looks like it already has."

The blue haired boy smiled. "Caught red-handed," he confessed, throwing his hands in the air in mock playfulness before his face reverting back to its usual state. "Now if you would excuse me…"

"W-W-Wait, up, M-Minato!" Junpei called out, suddenly jumping to his feet. "Wanna go share a bowl or something? Hey, c'mon, don't leave me all alone!"

"Ah, I should start training. I'll see you guys later," Akihiko said, slowly beginning a jog down the beach. "I'll see you guys later."

Nearby, Yukari gave a long yawn and began stretching her arms. "Urg, I'm beat," the archer complained before laying a towel underneath the umbrella they had set up earlier. "I'm going to take a nap. Stupei's stupid songs kept me awake the entire car ride here."

Hamuko giggled at the memory. What had started off as an innocent act of boredom erupted into a full-on solo karaoke act from the group's jokester after a sarcastic compliment from Yukari. Even right now, Hamuko could hear the echoes of Junpei's voice ring in her head.

"Did you see Mitsuru-senpai's face? I've never seen her look so confused before."

"Yeah… Not that I blame her: the songs that Junpei sang were pretty… obscure," Yukari agreed, crinkling her nose in the process. "I didn't know he was until into western rock n' roll up until now."

"That's what it was? I thought he was singing punk."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was rock. Why don't you ask him when you see him again?" the archer suggested, giving another yawn. "Well, anyways, I'm going to go take that nap… Wake me up when something happens."

"Sure thing, Yukari-chan. Good night," Hamuko replied before yawning herself. Smiling, the model allowed herself to get comfortable and closed her eyes. The warm sun on her skin combined with the gentle sounds of the ocean waves produced a soothing effect that only accelerated the drowsiness Hamuko was feeling.

"Because for someone like me, relationships are utterly pointless. There is absolutely no reason for me to become close with another person."

Hamuko eyes shot open. A small drop of sweat ran down her right temple despite the mild weather and cool breeze. For some reason, the cold, harsh words of Minato continuously replayed themselves in Hamuko's mind. Making sure not to wake up the sleeping Yukari, Hamuko slowly eased herself back up as she vigorously massaged her temples.

Minato was a master of hiding his emotions and deceit –if the blue haired boy desired it, he could easily steer a conversation in any direction he wanted to with a few words. When he lashed out earlier, Hamuko couldn't help notice the edge in his voice. The brief look of anger and defeat did nothing to conceal the emotions that the blue haired boy was always so good at keeping to himself.

And what disturbed Hamuko more were the words that Minato had said. Relationships were pointless for someone like him? There was no reason to become close with someone else? Those weren't the words of an ordinary teenage boy -although Hamuko already knew that Minato Arisato was anything but normal. Out of the corner of her eyes, Hamuko could see Minato slurping up noodles from a large ramen bowl while relaxing the soft sands of the beach. The calm, stoic Minato was nothing like the cold, bitter Minato that kept flashing in her mind. This Minato was the Minato she was accustomed. He was quiet yet quick with his tongue. Despite his stoic nature, there was a certain charismatic aura that seemed to naturally draw people around him. He was honest and never hesitated to tell the truth. But was this really the real Minato? Or was it just a mask to hide his real self? Was the real Minato hidden underneath that façade of perfection?

And in that moment, Hamuko Usami realized one important thing: she knew absolutely nothing about Minato Arisato.

And the sadder thing was that it was more than likely that no one did as well.

"Stressed" was only one of the words Hamuko could use to describe Mitsuru Kirijo right now.

Although Mitsuru was a master of keeping a calm façade, living with the beautiful heiress for the past couple of months had allowed Hamuko to pick up the small subtle tells of Mitsuru. For example, the senior only switched to drinking black tea as opposed to a mild coffee when she was nervous. Furthermore, while her posture appeared perfect as always, Mitsuru was resisting the urge to stand up from her spot and begin pacing, as indicated by the slight twitch in her right leg.

"Is everything all right, Senpai?" Hamuko cautiously asked Mitsuru, who appeared to have been startled for a split second before quickly regaining her composure.

"Ah, yes, everything is alright. My apologies if I appear distressed right now," Mitsuru said, uncharacteristically taking a large sip from her tea cup. Said sip appeared to be a mistake, as the usually perfect upperclassman suddenly winced in slight pain from the hotness of the tea.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Usami. While I appreciate your concerns, they are unfounded," the red haired beauty replied before setting her tea cup down. Hamuko, in response, raised an eyebrow and shot her upperclassman another concerned look. Luckily for Mitsuru, the sound of the door opening cut their conversation short.

"Thank you for waiting," a gruff voice said. Immediately turning to the sound of the voice, Hamuko couldn't help but take in a gulp of air. A very intimidating looking man had just walked into the room. The fact that the man seemed to have a very stern on his face coupled with an eye patch that covered up his right eye didn't improve the idea that he was a very affable person. The man paused for a second to scan the room. "I am Takeharu Kirijo. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier today –I had an important meeting that I could not miss."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you," Hamuko replied, bowing her head to the owner of the renowned Kirijo Group. "Thank you for have use over."

"Yes, thank you for allowing us to reside here," Minato quietly stated, mimicking Hamuko's actions with a small bow of his own. One by one, the group took turns thanking the older Kirijo for his generosity.

"No, think nothing of it," the eye patch wearing man dismissed with a wave of his hand. Mr. Kirijo sighed. "I have called you all in here in order to explain to you the reason behind S.E.E.S. and the Shadows. I believe Mitsuru has given you the abridged version before you came here?"

The group did not replied as Yukari's bitter words and accusations still vividly played in their minds. Only Yukari was capable of speaking up.

"Yes…"

"I see. Everything what Mitsuru has told you is true. As the current head of the Kirijo Group, it is my responsibility to give you the whole and true story." The man closed his one visible eye. "I am not a man of excuses: what transpired ten years ago will forever be a black mark on my generation's conscience. If it were in my power, I would give up everything just to correct this one mistake, yet, I cannot. The Shadows… The experiments… Back then, the Kirijo Group was attempting to use those monsters' powers to create a time manipulation device.

At first, Hamuko thought this was all one bad joke. Time manipulation? Wasn't that the plot of those really bad science fiction movies that Junpei continuously insisted on watching? The severe expression of Mr. Kirijo's face, however, said otherwise. "W-Why?"

"Man has and always will be full of regrets. If he were given the ability to erase the mistakes of the past and shape a perfect future, why wouldn't he do so?"

"A very ambitious project," Fuuka muttered to herself.

The CEO nodded his head. "Yes, and if it were only to remain an ambitious project."

"What do you mean?"

Mr. Kirijo gave a hollow laugh. His eyes darkened, as if he were recalling a bitter memory. "The project deviated from its original goal. My father, corrupted by the nihilism in his heart, began ordering side projects. What I am about to show you… This is the only footage that still exists of the accident ten years ago."

The lights flickered off and a large projection screen rolled down from the ceiling.

"Ms. Takeba."

"Y-Yes?"

"It may mean nothing, but for what it is worth, I am sorry."

Loud, scratchy noise began filling the room as a light was shone onto the projection screen. Slowly, a slightly distorted video began playing and a man's face appeared on the screen. As hard as Hamuko tried to make out the man's face, the poor quality of the video made the man's face unrecognizable.

"I pray that this reaches safe hands."

"That voice…" Yukari muttered in shock as she clenched her knuckled to the point they turned white.

"This project… All these experiments… My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. What I have just done is irreversible, and disaster may very well fall on this world because of me. But I do not regret it for the world would have paid the price had I remained idle."

The man in the video suddenly erupted into a fit of coughing, causing the camera he was holding to fall onto the floor. Fire now roared in the background, although it was hard to decipher anything else from the video. Slowly, the video camera shifted back to its original position.

"Please… to the people who are listening. The Shadows that were being experimented on have been dispersed as a result of the explosion."

Once again, the man dissolved into a fit of coughing. Luckily, the man was able to retain his grip on the video camera. "This is all my fault. I could have stopped the project, but I was blind by the promise of success and my greed. To the people watching this video, I ask not of your forgiveness but for you to destroy the Shadows that have split. And… if it's possible, please tell my wife and daughter tha-"

Nothing more. The man in the video was unable to finish his sentence, and the lights flicked back on.

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba."

"Wait, Takeba? You mean that's Yukari's dad?" Junpei shouted, his mind connecting the dots together. "But that means-"

"Nothing. The Kirijo Group continued to push that man despite the obvious signs. We are responsible." Mr. Kirijo turned his head to Yukari. "Once again, I am sorry for everything."

Yukari remained silent, a tremor coursing throughout her body. Hamuko could only watch helplessly as her friend's eyes began twitching wildly. "Yukari-chan…" she thought, wanting to do nothing more than to comfort the archer. Unfortunately, words failed to leave Hamuko's mouth, leaving her to only watch Yukari tremble in whatever emotion she was feeling.

"The Dark Hour… The Shadows… All those innocent people with Apathy Syndrome" Yukari finally asked, her voice several octaves than her norm. "It was all his fault?"

"H-Hey, Yukari, I don't think th-" Akihiko began.

"Is that why you hid everything from me? You were just… sorry?" Yukari asked as she stood up from her seat and turned her head towards Mitsuru. The senior did not reply, her gaze focused on the ground rather than the enraged Yukari's eyes. For once, Mitsuru seemed defenseless, her posture oozing shame and guilt. Yukari's chocolate brown eyes scanned the room, daring anyone to speak up.

No one did.

"I don't believe this."

"Takeba, you don't understand, I-" Mitsuru said, her voice in a near whisper. Somehow, the senior had managed to muster up the courage to speak up.

"I don't need your pity," Yukari seethed. The archer slowly began to pace around the floor, each step sounding louder than the one before. Suddenly, the pacing came to a cease and a pained look appeared on her face. "How could I be so stupid?"

The archer ran from the room.

"Yukari-chan!" Hamuko called out, leaping out of her seat as well. Without even thinking, the model sprinted out of the room and gave chase to the fleeing Yukari. Inwardly cursing to herself, Hamuko quickly navigated through the tight hallways of the Kirijo mansion, relying on the sounds of Yukari's footsteps to help her follow her distressed friend. "Yukari-chan! Wait!"

Instead of complying, the archer merely increased her speed, widening the gap between the two girls. As evident by the sharp turns and difficult paths she took, Yukari was clearly making it as hard as possible for Hamuko to follow her. Not wanting to lose her friend, Hamuko urged her body to push it harder. After what felt like an eternity of running, eventually, the archer stopped. The serene environment Yukari chose to stop at, the beach, did not match the mood of the night.

"Yukari…. Yukari-chan…" Hamuko managed to pant out as a small drop of sweat fell onto the soft sands below. Yukari remained silent, the waves of the ocean the only sound between the two. Despite the peaceful sounds of the beautiful waters, a thick, uncertain tension loomed in the air between the two.

"When I was little…" Yukari finally said after a small moment. The girl had turned her back on Hamuko, making it impossible for Hamuko to get a proper look at Yukari's face. "I didn't have many friends. My father was the leader of the research team that died in the incident, and when he passed away, everyone blamed him for the incident. It didn't take long for the kids at my school find out about my father…"

"You were bullied?" Hamuko softly asked, her fists clenching tightly.

"It was small at first, so it didn't really bother me. You know the typical petty things: my indoor shoes suddenly went missing, or my pencil bag would mysteriously disappear." Yukari gave a shallow laugh. "Then it got pretty bad. At one point, kids were throwing rocks at me and telling me to go join my dad… Because of that, my mom and I had to move towns a couple of times."

"…"

"But all that time, I kept telling myself the same thing over and over again: Dad is innocent. He wouldn't be the one responsible for the lives of all those innocent people. I didn't give a damn that I was being bullied or that no one around me liked me. As long as my dad was innocent, everything was going to be alright." Yukari turned around to finally face Hamuko. Her usually soft, chocolate brown eyes were moist were tears. "What a complete joke this turned to be, huh?"

"Yukari-chan…"

"The only reason why I even considered joining S.E.E.S. was to prove my dad's innocence. If I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, maybe, just maybe, I would be able to get the proof that would prove Dad to be guilt free." The archer gave a bitter laugh and wiped her right eye with the corner of her sleeves. "What a complete waste of time that was."

Words failed Hamuko. No matter how much the girl wanted to comfort her friend, just tell her how utterly wrong Yukari was, Hamuko could not. Lies were the last thing Yukari needed to hear. No matter how hard one tried to portray the situation differently, Yukari's father had played a role in the deaths of the other researchers.

"See?" Yukari asked, slow venom dripping from her voice. She had taken Hamuko's silence as a sign of reluctant agreement.

So instead, Hamuko did the only thing she could possibly do at the moment: she embraced Yukari.

The archer did not resist nor hug her friend back; instead, Yukari opted to allow Hamuko's warm presence envelope her tightly. Tears slowly dripped down onto the clothes of Hamuko as she gently rubbed Yukari's back in reassuring comfort.

"Hamuko… What do I do?" Yukari choked out, her sobs intensifying as Hamuko held her tighter.

This time, the words did not fail Hamuko. Before her mind could comprehend what exactly was going on, a simple statement had already left Hamuko's lips.

"Just keep fighting."

"H-Huh?"

Separating herself from her crying friend, Hamuko nodded her head. "Your dad left us with a job, didn't he?"

"The Shadows…"

"Yeah. We still have to deal with them, don't we?"

"B-But Dad isn't innocent!"

"No, he isn't. In the end, he was the one who caused the explosion that night." Hamuko told Yukari. "But that doesn't change the fact that there's still something to be done. As his daughter, isn't it your job to clean up after him?"

"…"

"Besides…" Hamuko's eyes sparkled with sincerity as she gave Yukari her most brilliant smile. "I want to believe in your dad. I want to believe that he died knowing that his daughter would be able to fix his mistakes. And most of all, I want to believe in you, Yukari-chan."

"Believe in me…?"

"Yeah."

The two stood silently in the cold night, Hamuko's words sinking in slowly. Suddenly, a small laugh escaped from Yukari.

"Yukari-chan?"

"Since when did you get so smart?" she asked, wiping a stray tear from face. Unlike before, her face shined with a bit of life and vigor. "Thanks, Hamuko."

"What are friends for, right?" The model gave Yukari another hug. "C'mon, let's go back. The others are probably wondering where we went."

"Actually, do you mind if I have some time alone? I need to clear my thoughts," Yukari muttered back.

Hamuko gave a small frown. "Yukari-chan, it's getting late. I don't think you should be alone at night."

"Please. I really need this."

A minute passed between the two before Hamuko nodded her head. "Alright. But promise me that you'll spend your time alone near Mitsuru-senpai's vacation house.

"Alright. I'll head on ahead then."

"See you later."

Watching her friend with a small smile, Hamuko gave the departing figure of Yukari a small wave before sighing to herself.

"I'm impressed, Usami."

Slightly startled, Hamuko turned around to be greeted by one Minato Arisato.

"Kirijo-senpai was worried about you two, so she sent me to retrieve you two," he explained calmly. "I apologize for eavesdropping, but I didn't think interrupting was the right decision to make at the time."

"It's okay, Minato-kun. I would have done the same thing," Hamuko replied back as she closed her eyes. "I really hope Yukari-chan is going to be okay…"

"She'll be fine." The terse, confident answer Minato provided caused Hamuko to shoot the stoic boy an inquisitive look.

"What makes you say that?"

"..."

"Minato-kun?"

"…much better job than I did."

"Minato-kun…?" Hamuko gently touched Minato's shoulders. "I'm sorry, I couldn't exactly hear what you just said."

"It's nothing, Usami," he murmured back, turning around and motioning to Hamuko. "I believe Kirijo-senpai is waiting for us."

"Minato-kun."

"Really, it was nothing, Usami. Let's head back."

After giving Minato a long hard stare, Hamuko gave a long sigh of resignation. "Fine."

The blue haired boy gave a satisfied nod of his head and turned around. As the two walked silently back to the vacation house, a single thought resonated in her mind.

What a mess.

?

7/21/2009

"So, I'm back here again, huh?" Hamuko muttered to herself as she did her best to calm her unsettled nerves. The familiar burning background coupled with the countless number of corpses that laid about was an all too familiar scene to the girl. Sighing, the girl began scanning her surroundings in search of the hooded boy that always appeared.

"I'm glad to see you again."

"Ack!" Startled, Hamuko began to wildly flail her arms about in hopes of regaining her balance.

No such luck. Seconds later, a frustrated Hamuko picked herself off the floor and rubbed her butt tenderly. "It's so nice to see you too," the girl venomously hissed, channeling every bit of hate she could muster into the glare she was currently sending the hooded boy who was now chuckling.

"I'm impressed. Usually, you'd be screaming your head off by now," the boy snickered. "Why the sudden change?"

"I… I don't know actually," Hamuko admitted. "Maybe I've just gotten used to all of this?"

"Ah. A pity. Perhaps I will have to change the setting a bit? I suppose these buildings are getting a little too drab for my taste… Hmm, perhaps the next dream should take place in the school?" he idly commented as the boy began to lazily pick at his fingernails. "The mall is another plausible idea."

Hamuko snorted, all feelings of trepidation and uneasiness slowly being replaced by mild annoyance. "So? Aren't you going to kill me in some twisted, gruesome way?"

"We can get to that later. Since you are not running around like a frightened child, we actually have some time to talk," the boy said, suddenly plopping down onto a pile of corpses before gesturing at Hamuko to do the same.

"Uh, I think I'll stand," Hamuko said as she couldn't help but sweatdrop at the scene in front of her. "So? What do you want to talk about?"

"Your abilities."

"My abilities…?"

"Well, to be exact, I'm more interested in one particular ability of yours: the Wild Card."

"The Wild Card?"

"Your ability to summon multiple Persona," the boy patiently explained before propping a leg onto a nearby dead body.

"Oh," the girl intelligently responded, no clue as to where the conversation was steering towards.

"I've never seen such a strong affinity for the Wild Card before… Whenever I peer into your soul, all I see is unlimited potential. Quite frankly, you are intriguing," he explained. Despite the shadow the hood casted over his face, Hamuko could tell that the boy was peering deeply into her eyes.

"I-I see."

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice."

"Huh?"

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice," he repeated, traces of amusement laced in his voice.

Hamuko frowned. Why would she thank him?

The boy, perhaps sensing Hamuko's confusion, began laughing. "There is a reason for the magnitude of your powers, you know."

Confusion still plagued Hamuko. Eyeing the now smirking hooded boy, the model cautiously asked, "You gave me these powers?"

He laughed again. "Well, not quite… But isn't that the question of the day?" Once again, the hood did little to hide his emotions. "It's almost frighteningly similar to his."

"His?"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't quite spill the beans on that one… He'll be quite upset with me if I did. In fact, I do be-" The boy paused and cocked his head to the side. "Oh… How unfortunate."

"What's going on?"

A sense of dread slowly began to spread throughout Hamuko's being.

"I really hate to cut this short…" It was clear as day that the boy was enjoying the discomfort in Hamuko. "But we seem to be out of time. If you aren't running away from me, then we will continue this discussion in the future. Now then…"

"W-Wait!"

"How should it end this time? Ah, well… Since nothing comes to mind, I guess an old trick works best then." A gun was raised.

"I-"

Gunshot.

Gasping for air, Hamuko woke up to the sound of birds chirping cheerfully in the background. The beautiful, gentle sound of the sea drifted throughout the room, leaving a calming, therapeutic effect to anyone presiding within. Hamuko took several moments to gather her composure and wits.

"Just… Just was that all about?" Hamuko murmured to herself, a hand slowly drifting to the spot where she was shot: her left bosom.

It throbbed uncomfortably.

"Urg, I was really sweating in my sleep," she said, noticing the wet spot on her pillow that resulted from her sweat. Sighing, the girl rolled towards the edge of her bed and allowed her toes to touch the soft carpet floor.

"Excuse me?" a voice called out from beyond the room door. Judging from the polite, controlled voice, it was likely that the owner of said voice was a maid of the Kirijo household. "Are you awake?"

"Y-Yes!" Hamuko called out, cleaning out the last of the cobwebs of sleep out of her.

"Mistress Kirijo has asked me to deliver this note to you," the voice explained. Seconds later, a small piece of paper was slid underneath the crack of the door. "Apologies for not directly handing this to you, but there is a rule in the Kirijo household that a maid or butler may not enter through an occupied room unless given permission."

"Ah, it's okay!" Hamuko called out as she reached down to pick up the piece of paper.

"Well then, if you would excuse me…." The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

Usami.

Takeba, Yamagishi, and I have set out to see the cryptomeria tree at the heart of Yakushima. My apologies for not inviting you, but you were fast asleep, and I did not wish to disturb you. Arisato, Akihiko, and Iori have headed off towards the beach. Feel free to join them. We will join you when we are done enjoying the sights.

~Mitsuru Kirijo

It didn't take long for Hamuko to find the boys –Junpei's voice was more than enough to locate them.

"ALRIGHT THEN! WE SET OUT!"

Giggling to herself, Hamuko quickly maneuvered herself in front of the excited Junpei and the two exasperated boys behind him. "Hey! What's going on?"

"G-Gah! Hamu-tan? W-Why are you here?" Junpei sputtered as the boy suddenly lost his balance and landed face first into the warm and soft sands.

"Junpei-kun! You alright?" Hamuko asked, rushing over to help pick up the now embarrassed Junpei.

"Yeah… Nothing's hurt here… Except for my pride," he muttered before sending Hamuko a quick look of gratitude. "Er, don't take this the wrong way, Hamu-tan, but why are you here?"

"What? A girl can't visit her friends at the beach?" Hamuko asked, her stern face doing little to hide the giggles that were threatening to escape.

Junpei took a step back and held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, Hamu-tan… No need to get all testy," he said with a wide grin on his face. "So you just came down here to hang out with the boys?"

"Well, something like that," Hamuko replied, the giggles now flowing freely from her. "So what are you guys up to?"

The look of terror that flashed briefly over the faces of Junpei and Akihiko did not escape Hamuko's eye. Eyebrows now raised in curiosity, the girl repeated her question.

"Uh, that's quite an interesting question, Hamu-tan," Junpei muttered, his eyes averted towards the ground.

"H-Hey, Hamuko? Why don't you go find Mitsuru and the girls? I'm sure you'd appreciate their company a lot more than ours," Akihiko tried, his eyes also casted towards the sands.

Hamuko shook her head. "They're off exploring the island. Mitsuru-senpai said she'd join us once they're done." The girl folded her arms. "Anyways, stop avoiding the question. Just what are you up to?"

"Ah, well…"

"You see, Hamuko…"

"They are planning to, as Iori phrased it, 'commence Operation Babe Hunt,'" one Minato Arisato voiced out from afar.

It was hard keeping in her laugher upon seeing the horrified looks of Junpei's and Akihiko's -one would think that someone had just dunked them in icy cold water. Suddenly, with a devious idea blossoming in her mind, Hamuko immediately scrunched her face into one of immense coldness and scrutiny.

"You guys are disgusting," Hamuko hissed while mentally applauding herself for her amazing acting skills.

"I… It's not what you think, Hamuko," Akihiko began, only to be shot down immediately by Hamuko's glare.

"C-Calm down, Hamu-tan," Junpei nervously said. Like Akihiko before him, Junpei immediately shut his mouth when Hamuko focused her glare on him.

One more person left. The best for last.

"And you," Hamuko snarled, pressing her index finger at Minato's forehead. "You did nothing to stop them?"

Unlike Akihiko and Junpei, Minato did not falter underneath Hamuko's intense gaze, opting to give a small yawn before flashing the cherry-eyed girl a small smile. "Not bad, Usami."

Immediately, Hamuko knew she was caught. Still, better to keep the act going and hope to see if she could get anything out of the blue haired boy.

"What do you mean, caught? You think I'm joking about this?!"

Again, the small smile. "Quite."

"…"

"..."

"…Keen as always, Minato-kun," Hamuko giggled, the dams holding her laughter bursting open. Oh, if only Akihiko and Junpei could see their own faces right now….

"Wha-You mean you were just kidding the entire time, Hamu-tan? That's mean!"

Instead of responding, the boxer turned his face away –probably to hide the shame and embarrassment he was feeling.

Grinning, Hamuko added, "You guys are lucky that it was me and not Mitsuru-senpai who caught you guys. Can you imagine her reaction?"

The pale white faces of Akihiko and Junpei were more than enough to make Hamuko's day.

"I didn't take you to be quite the sadist, Usami."

"Just trying to get a laugh, Minato-kun," Hamuko smirked before lightly slapping Junpei and Akihiko on the back. "I'm kidding, guys. Anyways, you guys are going to go flirt with some girls, right? I want in."

"…"

"…"

"…What?"

"You heard me. Let me in your little game, Junpei-kun," Hamuko said with a wide smile on her face. "I've always been curious about this sort of thing, so what best way to find out other than to join in on you guys?"

"Hamuko, I don't think this is a good idea," a nervous Akihiko voiced out.

"I'd have to agree with Akihiko-senpai over here, Hamu-tan. No offense, but a chick might, ya'know, mess up our flow?"

Hamuko rolled her eyes and flashed the boys one of her million-watt grins. "Don't worry, I'll stand on the sidelines and act more as a coach than anything else. And if it comes down to it, I can be a wingwoman."

"Psh, like the great Junpei Iori needs assistance in picking up a girl, Hamu-tan," Junpei scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Although I can't say the same for Akihiko-senpai or Minato over here…"

"Whatever you say, Junpei."

"I still refuse to take part in this."

"Well, too bad, Minato. Ya got no choice in this," Junpei laughed as the boisterous boy was already dragging a reluctant Minato down the sandy beaches of Yakushima. The hard stares Minato was sending to Junpei made it clear to Hamuko and Akihiko what Minato thought of all of this.

"Well, Senpai, guess we should go after them?" Hamuko asked, slowly picking her pace up to a jogging speed in order to catch up to the now zooming Junpei. The boxer sighed and nodded his head in agreement while muttering curses under his breath. By the time the duo had caught up with Junpei and Minato, the baseball loving teen was already trying to chat up a pair of females who clearly had no interest.

"You girls having fun out here?"

"Get lost."

"Ouch… This one is feisty, isn't that right, Minato?"

"….Please excuse my friend for his crass behavior."

"Apology accepted… but only if you can get him to buzz off."

Minato actually gave a smile at that comment. "Good luck with that."

"Dammit…. Why do we always get stuck with the annoying ones?"

Clearly, Junpei was struggling quite a bit here. The desperation that was slowly characterizing Junpei was becoming unbearable. Recalling a tip Rise had taught her, Hamuko cleared her throat and slowly approached the two women from the other side. "Hi…. Have you seen my friends? One of them is wearing a baseball cap and the other has blue hair."

The girl wearing the orange bikini gave Hamuko a quick stare before flicking her head towards Junpei and Minato. "You mean them, right? Can you take them away from us? They're cutting into our vacation time here."

Hamuko sighed. "Again, Junpei-kun?" The model shot the two girls an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry about that… He's not a really bad person."

The other girl snorted. "Right."

"I know it's really hard to believe… But ever since he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him, he's never been the same, you know?" Hamuko whispered while motioning the two girls to get closer to her. Instantly, guilt flashed in the two girls' eyes. "He used to be really reserved and sweet, but ever since that incident, he's been hitting on every girl he comes across. Personally, I think he's just trying to fill the gap in his heart his ex-girlfriend left him by trying to get as many women as he can. He's already had two girlfriends in the past two weeks."

The two girls looked at each other, understanding and sympathy befalling on their features. The girl in the orange bikini spoke up. "Maybe we were too harsh on him."

"Yeah… Even though I wouldn't go out with him, I guess I was a bit mean to him. Poor guy."

Hamuko nodded her head understandingly. "No, I would probably have the same reaction if some random guy was hitting on me like that." The model gave the two girls a small smile. "Again, sorry for all of that. Could you guys forgive him?"

They nodded their heads and turn their attention onto Junpei, who was trying his best to inch his way into their conversation without being detected. "Hey, uh, kid, sorry about earlier."

"Yeah, sorry."

"H-Huh?" Junpei sputtered as the boy took a step back from the two older girls.

"Thing is, we're both not looking for a boyfriend right now. With jobs and school and everything, we just don't have time for a boyfriend, you know what I mean?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah, you're alright, but I've got no time like she said. Anyways, we have an appointment somewhere else…. Maybe we'll see you around?" With that, the two girls left the gaping Junpei and startled Akihiko. Even Minato couldn't keep his usually stoic features on his face as mild surprise decorated his face.

Akihiko was the first to speak up. "Wow, Hamuko… Just what did you say to those two?"

"I feel really bad… But I lied and told them a fake story about Junpei-kun," Hamuko said, a slight twinge of guilt flashing in her eyes. "I don't usually do that, but you know…." The model shot Junpei a quick look.

"Wah? Hamu-tan, I had that all under my control. Another second, and I would have had those ladies wrapped arou-"

"Anyways, Hamuko, why don't we move onto the next set of girls?" Akihiko hurriedly asked as he ignored the indignant cries Junpei was making.

Needless to say, Operation Babe Hunt was quite the failure. Despite Hamuko's advice and surprising ability to play wingwoman, both Akihiko and Junpei (and Minato by default) failed to impress a single lady.

"Ew, get away from me, creeps."

Especially Junpei.

"Look, if you don't back off, I'm calling the police."

Although they did get close to that one target…. unfortunately.

"Hehe, I like a man like you, cutie."

"Oh ho? Is Junpei's magic here finally working?"

"Yes, it quite is. Why don't I take you and show you how lonely I've been this entire time?"

"Hot damn! Just let m-"

"Junpei-kun wait… Is there hair on her chin?"

"Wha…?"

"I… I missed a spot?"

"And with that, we will be leaving. Thank you for your time."

Quite honestly, that previous experience ranked quite high on Hamuko's list of her most disturbing experiences. Apparently, the experience was just as, if not more, disturbing for the rest of the group as morale dropped considerably after said event. Even the usually optimistic Junpei seemed quite glum and morose.

"Hah… Is there even a point to all this anymore?" the baseball loving teen sighed, his eyes more focused on the sands below than the beautiful women that were scattered about.

"I told you that this was a waste of time, Junpei," Akihiko grumbled next to him. While the senior was not one to actively seek out female attention, it was clear that even he was getting miffed from the blatant rejections.

"…" Minato gave a small yawn.

"Hey, guys, don't be discouraged!" Hamuko called out, slapping both Junpei and Akihiko on the back with enough force to make them wince. "Plenty of fish out here! We just got to find the right one!"

"Urg, I think I'm done fishing, Hamuko."

"No, Hamu-tan is right, Senpai. One more hit. If we fail, then we go home. Alright?" Junpei announced, determination and life rushing back into his eyes. Hamuko had to give a smile right there –Junpei sure had the grit and persistence.

Akihiko shook his head and gave a long sigh. "Fine. But I'm not going to talk this time. The next one is all yours."

"Wuss," Junpei taunted much to Akihiko's displeasure. To the boxer's credit, he didn't rise to Junpei's challenge. Junpei turned his head around. "And Hamu-tan? You've been a great wingwoman this entire time, but I think I can handle this next one."

"Uh, are you sure about that?" Hamuko asked as the model shot Junpei a look of disbelief.

"Yeah. You gotta let the young birds fly free from the nest, ya know?"

"Uh huh. And since when did I become your mother, Junpei-kun?" Hamuko asked amusingly. "But I get the idea. Alright, you're alone for this next one."

Junpei let out a loud guffaw. "Awesome. And what do you know? That tall blonde on the edge of the dock looks like quite the cutie from behind. Alright, watch ol' Junpei here work his magic on her."

An eerie sensation washed over Hamuko as she laid her eyes on the blonde girl Junpei was pointing at. The way her short blonde hair gently swayed in the wind, along with the quiet presence she exuded was oddly familiar. "Junpei-kun, wai-"

He was already gone.

Sighing, the model did her best to shake the feeling that was swelling up within her. It was probably just bad precognition. The only thing she could do now was to watch Junpei hopefully emerge victorious. Hamuko quietly motioned Minato and Akihiko to move in closer so that they could get a better view of the two.

"Hey… Today's a nice day isn't it?"

"…"

"My name is Junpei Iori. Nice to meet you."

"…Junpei…?"

"Yeah, that's me. I noticed that you're all alone out here. If you want, can I keep you company?"

"I… I am looking for a human."

"Oh… You're with someone?"

"You are not the one…"

Hamuko winced. That went awfully quick. The model quickly made her way towards the dock in order to pull Junpei out. "Hey, Junpei-kun! Uh, we have to go back an-"

A zephyr blew past Junpei, knocking his baseball cap off his head as Hamuko was suddenly knocked full force onto the soft sands. Endless hours in Tartarus had the model instinctively reach for where her Evoker would normally be holstered.

She came up empty-handed.

"This is bad. I'm absolutely defenseless right now," Hamuko thought, adrenaline pumping in her veins.

"I have finally found you." That voice… Why was it so familiar. The arms that were wrapped around her waists tightened.

"I can't believe. Hamu-tan is getting luckier than I am!" Junpei moaned out as the rest of the boys came running over towards Hamuko.

"Wha… What's going on?" Hamuko screamed, desperate to push the blonde off of her.

No luck. In fact, the arms only seemed to tighten even more.

"Geez, just what are you made out of? Metal?" Hamuko cried as her attempts to escape the mysterious beauty's clutches.

After another minute of pleading and struggling, the model was finally successfully managed to push the blonde off of her. Blank sky blue eyes greeted Hamuko as the model finally had a chance to study her assailant. The loose light blue blouse she wore resembled a hospital gown, which was unusual for someone at a beach. Her pale complexion seemed to shine in the bright sun.

"Well then, Usami. Not only are you an excellent wingwoman, but you also seem to be quite efficient at obtaining the affections of the fairer sex," Minato quietly voiced out as he made his way over towards Hamuko and the mysterious blonde.

Another gust of wind blew. This time, Minato was knocked onto the ground.

Instead of arms wrapped around his waists, however, hands were clutched tightly around his neck. Cobalt grey eyes widened considerably as Minato's hands struggled to pry off the blonde girl's fingers off his neck.

"H-HEY! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Instantly, Junpei, Akihiko, and Hamuko rushed over to pull the girl off of their friend but to no avail.

"Holy crap… This girl is built like a tank," Junpei wheezed as he continued to pull at the girl.

"Guys! C'mon! We need to pull her off of Minato-kun!"

"Trying my best here Hamuko!"

Sweat now dripped down Hamuko's temples as she exerted all the strength in her body. Was it just her, or was Minato's face turning blue? Panic now erupted within Hamuko.

Minato wasn't going to die right now… right?

"STOP!"

The hands slowly pulled away from Minato's neck as he fell over wheezing for air. A perplexed look appeared on the blonde's face as she walked away.

"I'm glad I made it in time," Mitsuru's voice rang as she and the rest of the girls hurried towards the dock. A look of anger and concern crossed her face as she turned her gaze onto the blonde. "It appears that we have a lot to discuss tonight."

"Are you alright?" Ikutsuki asked Minato kindly, placing a comforting hand on the blue haired boy's shoulder.

He immediately swatted it away. "I'm fine," he muttered, the coldness and harshness in his voice uncharacteristic.

"Minato-kun! That's rude! Ikutsuki-san is just concerned about you," Yukari scolded before shooting the older man an apologetic look. "He's just distressed from earlier, I think."

"It's alright. I perfectly understand given the circumstances," Ikutsuki replied. "But I must apologize for everything. Thankfully, we have everything under control now."

"Just what the hell was that?" Junpei muttered more to himself. "And why was Minato attacked?"

"I'm afraid only Aigis can answer that," Ikutsuki responded as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Aigis?"

Almost on cue, the blonde girl from earlier walked into the room. Immediately, every S.E.E.S. member save for Mitsuru and Minato leaped from their chair and shifted into a defensive position.

"Everyone, please calm down. Aigis means no harm."

"Hello. My name is Aigis," she said almost robotically. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to S.E.E.S." The entire time, her eyes never left Hamuko and Minato.

"Aigis is not human. We refer to her as a mechanical maiden –an Anti-Shadow weapon designed ten years ago to combat Shadows. She's actually the last of her kind," Ikutsuki explained warmly. "Though I have no clue as to why she displayed such hostility towards you, Minato-kun. Which reminds me… Aigis, please apologize to Minato-kun for your behavior from earlier."

"…"

"Aigis." Cold winter replaced the warmth in Ikutsuki's voice.

"I… I apologize," Aigis robotically said, although the reluctance was clearly evident.

"It's alright," Minato quietly murmured back. Was that genuine hurt flashing in his eyes? If it was, the emotion had vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Excellent! I'm glad that's water under the bridge now!" Ikutsuki exclaimed, clapping his hands for emphasis. A sudden, mischievous grin appeared on his face as the man stole a glance at Aigis. "In fact, it's quite water-ful that our relationship is repaired!"

The group resisted the urge to moan at Ikutsuki's horrible pun and joke. Trust the glasses wearing man to throw in a bad joke to diffuse an awkward situation. To his credit, however, it worked as the group was visibly much more relaxed. The only ones not relaxed were Aigis (who probably couldn't express such emotions) and Minato.

"Anyways, like Aigis just mentioned, she will be joining S.E.E.S. as soon as we finish running some tests on her. She just 'woke' up, and we want to make sure that Aigis's program and build is at its optimal level."

"Wait… What do you mean, 'woke up?'" Yukari asked.

"Ah, well you see, Aigis here was damaged in combat several years ago and was in hibernation for quite a while. According to the lab hands, she suddenly reactivated herself shortly after we arrived here. Why? I have no clue, but I suppose we shouldn't look at a gift horse in its mouth. Aigis is a capable fighter and will be an excellent addition to the team," Ikutsuki explained to the group while sipping a tea cup that was in front of him.

"Wait a moment… If she was knocked out this entire time, then how did she recognize Hamu-tan here? And why did she attack Minato?" Junpei asked. The rest of the group nodded their heads, the same questions burning in their minds.

The Chairman shrugged his shoulders. "I can only guess. Perhaps her identification system malfunctioned? Maybe something about Minato-kun made Aigis mistake him for a Shadow or some kind of threat? In any case, I can only form a hypothesis at this point in time. My apologies."

Aigis did not respond directly to Ikutsuki's comments, focusing her attention on both Minato and Hamuko. "It is important that I do not leave her side," she announced, walking closer towards Hamuko and casting a protective arm over her. Cold blue eyes glared at Minato. "And I will refrain from attacking you as of now."

"…" A small nod acknowledged Aigis's proclamation. This time, Hamuko was positive that she saw pain in Minato's eyes. Like before, the flicker of emotion was gone as soon as it came.

"Hey, Minato-kun… Are you sure that you're okay?" Hamuko whispered to the blue haired boy.

"I'm fine, Usami."

"Bu-"

"I'm fine." Minato, perhaps realizing how rude he was being, stood up and gave Hamuko a forced smile. "I'm sorry, but I am feeling a little unnerved from all of this. I will have to excuse myself. Good night." He walked away.

Just what was going on with Minato? Was he that shocked from being attacked by Aigis? Concern engulfing every fiber in her body, Hamuko found herself jumping out of her seat, only for a firm hand to be placed on her shoulder.

Mitsuru shook her head. Now was not the time. Leave him be.

Hesitantly, Hamuko sat back down on seat, her desire to give chase dissipating. Mitsuru was right: she could talk to Minato when he was less upset.

"Well, that draws this meeting to a conclusion. Boy am I beat!" Ikutsuki announced, obviously trying to do whatever he could to once again dispel the awkwardness in the air. He wrapped an arm around the shoulders of Akihiko and Junpei. "By the way, I saw a karaoke machine on my way here… I've been practicing my singing in the showers, and now that we're here, why don't we all try the machine out?"

"Uhh…."

"I think I'm good, Ikutsuki-san."

"But I insist! C'mon, boys! You're going to leave an old man like me all alone by his lonesome self?"

Hamuko quietly excused herself from the room, ignoring the looks of betrayal both Akihiko and Junpei shot at her. In response, Hamuko gave them a sweet smile and slowly began walking down towards her room.

"What a trip," she muttered to herself the model was alone in the hallway as her smile instantly dropped. What a trip indeed. Who would have thought that a small paradise such as this place could be a site of such drama? From Yukari learning the truth behind her father's death and deeds to Aigis's sudden arrival, Hamuko couldn't help but feel a slight headache. "If Aigis-san is joining us, then how am I going to deal with her and Minato-kun? The last thing I need is for Aigis to suddenly attack Minato-kun while we explore Tartarus. Hmm, maybe I sho –ow!"

Did she just hit a metal wall?

"…"

"Aigis-san…?" Hamuko managed to let out as she tried her best to compose herself. Aigis towered over Hamuko, her soulless blue eyes watching her with what appeared like keen interest.

"Yes."

"Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

Hamuko swallowed the lump that was growing within her throat as she silently repeated a mantra. Aigis was only a robot that was programmed to follow specific orders. Her odd quirks and personality was beyond her control. Aigis was only a robot that was program-

"According to my database, your bedroom is right here."

"Yes… Yes, it is," Hamuko awkwardly said, unable to look directly into the eyes of Aigis. "Um, can I ask why you were waiting for me?"

"I wish to be by your side."

"I-I see. Well, I don't think you need to be by my side every second, Aigis-san. Why don't you go back to your room and go to sleep?" Hamuko proposed as she did her best to navigate around the mechanical maiden and into her room. A metal hand stopped her.

"Unacceptable."

It took all of Hamuko's willpower to refrain from allowing the rather colorful words that had exploded in her mind from slipping. The slightly irritated girl took a deep breath of air.

"Then what do you want to do, Aigis-san?"

The iron maiden closed her eyes. Without warning, Aigis took a step towards the side, finally allowing Hamuko entrance into her room. "My sensors inform me that you are not in the mood for conversation. Emotions that interfere with communication will only lead to problems; thus, I propose that we continue this conversation another day."

Wow. Just like that? Blinking, the girl slowly reached for the handle of her day, half-expecting Aigis to suddenly deny her entrance like before. Thankfully, nothing happened.

"Well, I guess I'll be off to bed. Good night, Aigis-san."

"Good night? I do not comprehend. How can a night be good?"

Good lord.

"Aigis! I need to perform a quick check-up on you!" Ikutsuki's voice called down the hallway.

"…"

"Aigis!" The voice grew sharper.

"I will see you in the morning." With that, Aigis began walking down the hallway towards the chairman.

Giving a sigh of relief, Hamuko opened the door to her room and made a beeline for her bed. Not bothering to change into her pajamas, the girl immediately threw herself onto the comfortable grasp of her bed. "I'm never going to leave this bed," she muttered to herself as Hamuko allowed her eyes to shut tightly. Minutes passed and Hamuko could feel her body relax itself to a state where it was inviting sleep. Just as sleep was about to overtake the girl, however, Hamuko found herself jumping out of her bed and rushing towards the door. Without hesitation, Hamuko turned the lock on her door.

Just in case.

Gekkoukan High School

7/25/2009

"Excuse me… Coming through," Hamuko yelled, weaving through the sea of people who were also heading towards the same destination. The cherry eyed girl winced in pain as someone amidst the mob unknowingly stepped on her toes. Ignoring her slightly numb toes, Hamuko continued her struggle until her destination was finally in front of her. She took a quick second to catch her breath before peering up towards the giant board that listed the scores of every student of Gekkoukan High School.

"Please, God, if you are out there… Please please please…." The model prayed in her head as she slowly cracked her eyes open to accept her inevitable fate. Per her usual custom, Hamuko started from the bottom of the list. As her eyes traveled up the board, the sensation of hope slowly but surely begun welling up from within.

Junpei. Kenji. Hell, even Yukari's name had appeared and Hamuko and yet to see her name.

"Wow, Hamu-tan. I'm pretty impressed," Junpei announced from behind.

Normally, the suddenness of Junpei's appearance would scare Hamuko, but her absurdly high ranking (by her standards) left the model shell-shocked. This wasn't a mistake… right?

"…an? Earth to Hamu-tan?"

"H-Huh?"

"I was asking how you managed to do so well," Junpei said, rolling his eyes as he jabbed a finger at Hamuko's score. "Like, I think you tripled your score from last time. You didn't, ya know, cheat right?"

"J-Junpei-kun! Wh-" Hamuko protested before noticing the teasing gleam in Junpei's eyes. Grumbling, the girl sent a mock glare at Junpei who shot back a cheeky grin in response. "How did you do, Junpei-kun?"

"Oh, you know."

"So the usual, huh?" Hamuko asked, giggling at her friend's easygoing attitude towards his rather rancid results.

"Yep… Looks like I'm going to be stuck in the ol' remedial classes again," Junpei exclaimed dramatically, swooning over in theatric fashion. "And this time you won't be keeping me company."

"C'mon, Junpei-kun. They're not that bad."

"Easy for you to say, Hamu-tan. You're the not one stuck with old man Ekoda."

"Uh… Junpei-kun…?"

"God, I could probably name over a hundred things I rather do than be stuck in a room with him."

"Junpei-kun?"

"I swear, fifty percent of the time he lectures, and the other fifty he just complains abo-"

"Junpei-kun!"

"What, Hamu-tan? Something wrong?" Junpei asked, finally noticing the horrified and nervous expression on his friend's face. It only took a couple of seconds for the boisterous male to realize what exactly was going on. "He's right behind me, isn't he?"

All Junpei got in response was a small nod.

Sighing, Junpei slowly shrugged off his backpack and held it out in front of him. Without needing a verbal prompt, Hamuko took the backpack and gave a sigh of her own.

"The usual place in thirty minutes?"

"The usual place in thirty minutes."

"Good luck."

And with that, Junpei was gone, racing down the halls of Gekkoukan High School. A dumbfounded Ekoda stood confounded in the hallway before it dawned upon him what exactly had just happened. A vicious snarl replaced his stunned facial expression as the older man began tearing down the hallway as well in hot pursuit.

"JUNPEI IORI! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

?

8/1/2009

"Hamu… Wa… Wake up!"

Yawning, Hamuko's cherry red eyes fluttered open, allowing the bright lights of the sun to fill her vision. Temporary confusion and distortion caused her mind to jump into slight panic as the model quickly reoriented herself.

That's right. She was on a bus. She was going to some high school for a training camp for volleyball. She had asked Rio to wake her up when they had arrived. So that meant…?

"Oi. We're here. Hurry up and get out."

Right. They were here. Giving Rio a small look of gratitude, Hamuko stood from her seat and gave a long stretch before walking out of the bus. A small school greeted the girl immediately.

"Wow… It's so small!" one of the members of the volleyball team called out as the small group of girls excitedly began to examine the high school much to Hamuko's mild amusement. Having to have to move several times as a young child, Hamuko was no stranger to small towns and schools.

"Hey! We're not here to sightsee, you know! Stop acting like you're on a field trip and focus on the training camp!" Rio barked much the dismay of the members of the volleyball club.

"Ah, c'mon, Rio! We're all the way out here… We might as well have some time enjoy ourselves!"

Despite her stern outer demeanor, it was clear that Rio also had a desire to relax and explore the beautiful environment. The weak attempt to look annoyed did not help either. Fortunately for the athletic captain, the conversation was quickly cut short by another group of girls that was approaching them.

"Hello! We're the volleyball team of Yasoinaba! Pleased to meet you!" a girl from the new group, presumably the captain, greeted, giving a small bow in the process.

"Ah, yes. We're from Gekkoukan. We're pleased to meet you as well," Rio quickly responded with a small bow of hers. "Thank you for allowing us to use your facilities."

"No, think nothing of it. You're actually doing our team a favor by agreeing to train with us."

Nodding her head, Rio made a motion towards the gym. "Well then, shall we?"

"Hold it."

The group paused in their tracks, each giving the captain of the Yasoinaba volleyball team a puzzled look. The smug look did not escape their attention.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we? After our muscle training and drills, let's play a best out of three match. Losing team cleans the gym."

A mischievous grin made its way onto Hamuko's face as her cherry red eyes gleamed with amusement. Rio, noticing the cogs turning in Hamuko's mind, shot her friend a look that was promptly ignored.

"Just cleaning is a bit boring, isn't it? How about some wind sprints as well?"

"What?"

"Hamuko-chan, are you being seriously?"

"Wind sprints after three games and practice?"

Ignoring the complaints of her teammates, the model sent the other captain a cheeky grin. "I guess wind sprints are too much for you guys."

"Fine. I just can't wait to see the look on your faces when you have to clean the entire gym," she replied, a low growl escaping her mouth as she quickly gathered her teammates and left.

Already, Hamuko could feel the glares of the entire volleyball team at her back. Slight pain hit the back of her head as Rio gave Hamuko a light hit. "C'mon guys, we got this!"

"Don't make decisions like that on your own," Rio said while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah! Hamuko-chan, we're going to get crushed! Their team is ranked higher than ours!"

"Don't worry!" Hamuko cheered reassuringly. A genuine, warm smile was sent to the members of the volleyball as Hamuko flexed her right arm. "We're going to win. Believe me."

"My legs are killing me."

"I hate you, Hamuko-chan."

"You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?"

At the very least, Hamuko had the decency to blush. The games, while close and exciting, had ultimately ended with a Yasoinaba victory. Surprisingly, the gloats from the opposition post-game where minimum, and many of them offered to help clean up much to the relief of the Gekkoukan students. After practice and the wind sprints, the group had gone out into town for some excellent ice cream. Hamuko had found herself exchanging numbers with many members of the Yasoinaba volleyball teams. To her utter surprise and slight embarrassment, many of them had already known Hamuko's side job as a model and had bombarded her with many questions. Amusingly, many had also asked Hamuko for Minato's number.

Of course, Hamuko freely gave away his number.

"But seriously, Rio-chan, how did you find this inn? It's fantastic!"

The volleyball captain, who had made herself comfortable in one of the nearby futons, gave the person who had just spoken up a glance. "Huh? Oh, this inn is actually pretty famous in this town. Apparently, a lot of celebrities and big-shots stay at this inn whenever they visit this town. Luckily for us, the school and inn managed to work out a deal."

"I can see why so many people want to come here… The hot springs here were absolutely amazing. I could see myself just sitting in there for hours."

Smiling to herself, Hamuko allowed herself to quietly slip out of the room while her teammates were animatedly talking amongst themselves in order to fetch a small drink for herself.

"Ah, where can I get something to drink," the model muttered to herself as she tried her best to navigate through the gorgeous inn. Whoever had done the interior designing for the inn certainly knew what he or she was doing.

"Are you lost?"

Slightly startled by the sudden question, Hamuko took a deep breath to calm herself. A beautiful, young girl with short black hair stood in the middle of the hallway. Her bright red kimono shined elegantly underneath the florescent lights of the high as the girl slowly made her way over towards the model. "Are you lost?" she repeated.

"A-Ah, no," Hamuko replied, shaking her head vigorously. "I was just admiring the inn, that's all."

The new girl nodded her head understandingly. "Well, if you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask."

"Actually, can you tell me where I can get some water?"

"I'll have a pitcher delivered to your room right away. I believe you were with the group from earlier, correct? The volleyball team?"

"Yes, I'm with them, but I don't think the pitcher is necessary," Hamuko waved off. "Is there somewhere I can get a small cup?"

"The kitchen should be able to provide you with a cup, bu-"

"Great! Can you just point me in the right direction then?" she asked, excited to be able to catch a glimpse of the kitchen of such an established inn.

The girl gave a slight pause, her midnight black eyes peering deep into Hamuko's cherry ones. "Customers are not allowed in the kitchen."

That deflated Hamuko a bit. "Oh. Well, I guess I'll have to take th-"

"But if I go with you, it should be fine."

Excitement shined in Hamuko's eyes. "Really? Are you sure it's okay?"

She nodded her head. "Yes."

"Awesome! Thank you, uh…"

"Yukiko. Yukiko Amagi.

"And I'm Hamuko Usami. Pleased to meet you, Yukiko-chan!" the model greeted cheerfully. "I really appreciate the offer."

"Think nothing of it, Usami-san," Yukiko quietly replied as she guided Hamuko towards the kitchen. Within a minute, the duo arrived in front of a wooden door. A metal sign that read, "No customers," hung from a single nail. Ignoring the sign, Yukiko opened the door and motioned Hamuko to enter.

"Pardon me," Hamuko called into the room as she entered the kitchen.

Empty.

It was a modest kitchen, equipped with the tools and equipment one would expect to find in any other kitchen. What impressed Hamuko the most, however, was how immaculate the kitchen was.

"Wow, it's a really nice kitchen," Hamuko complimented as she gratefully accepted a small cup of water that Yukiko had handed to her. The cool and refreshing liquid trickled down her throat. "Ah, that was nice. Thanks, Yukiko-chan," the model grinned, handing the cup back to the younger girl.

"You're welcome," Yukiko said, making her way over to the sink in order to wash the cup.

"Oh, yeah, you said your last name was Amagi, right? Are you somehow related to the owners of the inn?" Hamuko asked. The slight tense tremor in Yukiko's right hand did not escape Hamuko's eyes.

Yukiko did not respond, opting to finish washing and drying the cup before cracking what appeared to be a fake smile. "Yes, I am the daughter of the owners."

"Yukiko…?"

"Yes?"

Hamuko bit her lips, obvious concern emanating from her despite the models best attempts at hiding her emotions. As much as she wanted to ask the black haired girl questions, this was none of her business. "Never mind."

The daughter of the Amagi Inn let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps noticing the awkward tension that now laid between the two, Yukiko cracked another smile. "So you're from the city, correct? What is it like?"

"It's, well, a lot bigger than here obviously. There's always something to do, and you always end up meeting colorful people," Hamuko mused as she took a thoughtful pose. "I suppose there's never a dull moment."

"Really?" Stars now shined in Yukiko's eyes. Like a child who had stumbled into a candy store, Yukiko moved with a vibrant aura that was not previously there. "The city must be amazing."

Hamuko gave a giggle. "It has its pros and cons."

The vibrant aura was replaced by a skeptical one. "Really? The city just sounds perfect to me…. I wish I could visit one sometime in the future instead of being stuck around here."

"You don't like it here?"

"It's not like that... I guess I just want a change in scenery," Yukiko muttered, scarlet red coloring her face as she attempted to hide said blush with her hands. "What am I saying? I shouldn't be talking to a customer about this stuff."

Laughter filled the small kitchen. "It's okay, Yukiko-chan," Hamuko said warmly. "I don't mind."

The hands did not move from Yukiko's face. The redness intensified, small hints of her embarrassment escaping past the corners of her hand. "T-Thank you," she stuttered, finally turning her back towards Hamuko. Yukiko then reached for a cup that was drying on a nearby counter and poured some water into it.

"So what do you do around here, Yukiko-chan?" Hamuko asked gently.

"To be honest, there's not really much to do around here," the younger girl replied, taking a sip from her cup. "My friend Chie and I occasionally go fishing at the river, but other than that, I'm afraid working at the inn and schoolwork consumes most of my time."

"Huh, is that right…?"

"Actually…" the red cladded girl placed a finger on her chin and scrunched her face in deep concentration. "There were talks about building a department store in town… Everyone's been talking about it."

Hamuko couldn't help but cast a small smile at Yukiko's remark. In the city, nobody would talk or think twice about a new department store being built –the city was already oversaturated with them. Still, Hamuko decided to amuse the younger girl.

"Oh yeah?

"Yes. I suppose I will check it out with Chie once it opens up."

"Well, that sounds like fun." Slipping a hand into her pocket, Hamuko pulled out a cell phone and turned it on. "Oh, by the way, do you have a cell phone, Yukiko-chan?"

"H-Huh? Oh, yes, I do."

"Would you mind exchanging numbers then? If you're ever around Tatsumi Port Island, give me a call. I'll show you around."

"Oh! T-Thank you very much!" Yukiko stammered, a warm smile appearing on her face as the two girls switched numbers.

"I expect the same thing if I'm ever around again." Hamuko said as she gave a wink.

"Of course!"

"Excellent!" Noticing the time, the auburn haired girl began making her way towards the exit. "Well, I think it's time for me to head back."

"And I should get back to work," Yukiko nodded her head.

"Thanks for the water and the small tour, Yukiko-chan."

"It was my pleasure, honored guest."

Private Studio, Tokyo, Japan

8/3/2009

"And… That's a wrap! Good job, people!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Hamuko allowed herself to stretch out her arms. While modeling was fun and always interesting, it forced her to remain in certain poses and positions for extended periods of time. Massaging the small kink in her shoulder, Hamuko slowly made her way to the director of the project.

"Ah, Hamuko-chan! Good work out there!"

"Thanks, Daisuke-san," Hamuko said with a tired smile. "Did the pictures come out alright?"

"Yeah… I think they're even better than last month's. I wouldn't be surprised if this month's issue sells more quickly than last month's," the director grinned as he produced last month's magazine to show Hamuko.

"That would be great," Hamuko said, politely refusing the magazine as she slowly made her way to the exit. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to go. I'll see you next time, Daisuke-san."

"Ah, wait, Hamuko-chan!" the man called out.

"Huh?"

"Before I forget…" The man handed Hamuko a folded slip of paper. Upon opening the paper revealed a very familiar handwriting. "Rise-chan wanted me to give this to you after the shoot today."

"Thank you, Daisuke-san," Hamuko said to her director before she silently read the note to herself.

Hey, Hamuko-senpai! How are you doing? Sorry for not texting you, but I kinda lost my phone the other day… Oops! Silly me. Anyways, I was just wondering if you could help me with a small cooking project I have for one of my classes today. I would really appreciate it if you could help me. So pretty please? I'll make it up to you, promise! Call my manager if you have time.

Ciao!

~Rise

"Same old Rise-chan," Hamuko thought to herself, vividly hearing Rise's bubbly and cute voice as she reread the note. After quickly memorizing the phone number that was hastily scribbled on the back of the paper, Hamuko began calling Rise's manager.

"Ah, hello?"

"Yes, who might this be?"

"I'm Hamuko Usami, I think Rise-chan told you about me?"

"Oh yeah, I remember something about that… Rise? Rise! For you!"

"Senpai! How are you?" Rise happily greeted after a moment of silence on the other end of the call. The idol took a couple of seconds to catch her breath.

"Sorry, did I call at a bad time? You seem… tired," Hamuko asked, noticing the idol breathing rather heavily.

"Huh? No no no, I just finished working out. If anything, you caught me at the best time," she cheerfully replied. On the other end of the call, Hamuko could hear a bottle of water being twisted open. "Anyways, you got my little note, right? Can you help me tonight?"

Hamuko gave a nervous laugh. "Well, actually…" Cooking, while it was a small hobby of hers, was not a strong point for Hamuko. If Rise needed help cooking a dish, then Hamuko would have to try her best to reject the other girl's plea for help –a difficult task since Rise was probably the most persuasive person Hamuko had ever met in her entire life. Refusing Rise felt like the equivalent kicking a small and adorable puppy who desperately needed your help. Luckily for Hamuko, the conversation was over the phone and not a direct one.

"Aw, c'mon, Senpai! Please? I really need someone to taste my food!"

Instant relief washed over Hamuko. This was something she could do. "Oh, I just need to taste your food? I can do that."

"Oh? Are you not confident in your cooking skills, Hamuko-senpai?" Rise asked.

"Not really… I don't think I'm cut out for most domestic work," Hamuko said with a nervous laugh. Flashbacks of culinary disasters in home economics and laundry mishaps played in her head.

"Senpai! You can't cook?" Rise scolded, her tone mocking. "How will you be able to make meals for Minato-senpai then?"

Hamuko gave another nervous laugh, memories of Minato trying out one of her dishes playing in her head. After that small incident, the blue haired boy seemed to mysteriously disappear whenever Hamuko emerged out of the kitchen with a new dish in hand. Honestly, it was just one small mistake. Anyone could have mistaken the sugar for the salt! "I don't think he's going to be trying one of my dishes anytime soon, Rise-chan. Just trust me on this."

"Alright… if you say so," Rise conceded, albeit with obvious skepticism. In the background, Hamuko could hear the idol tapping her fingers against some sort of surface.

"Anyways, you said I just need to taste your food, right? How about we meet at my place? I don't think too many people live in the area, so reporters shouldn't be a problem," Hamuko suggested. Immediately, the tapping stopped.

"Really? You mean I can actually visit your place?" the idol asked enthusiastically. "Is Minato-senpai also going to be there?"

"Hmm… Maybe? I really don't know… You know how Minato-kun is: always moving at his own pace and doing his own things."

"True," Rise agreed. "Anyways, your place sounds good at me. Can you tell me your address?"

"Of course! My address is…"

"Are you certain about this?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that is my final answer."

"But Ms. Kirijo, I implore you to think of the opportunity lost!"

Hamuko paused in the front of the dorm door, the first voice become exceedingly louder every second. Strange. It seemed awfully familiar. Tentatively, Hamuko slowly pulled the door open.

Sitting on the couch with a rather cross look on his face was Tanaka. Across from him was a serene looking Mitsuru, who was quietly sipping from her favorite tea cup. Reading the mood of the room, Hamuko gave a small nod to the two other people and made a beeline towards the kitchen door.

"Urg, talk about awkward," Hamuko muttered to herself, pulling out various bowls and kitchen utensils from the cupboards of the kitchen. Despite her best efforts to tune out the two people sitting outside, Hamuko could still make bits out of their conversation.

"My offer still stands, Ms. Kirijo. By working together on this one project, we ca-"

"If anything, why are you approaching me about this? I am not the head of the company –that would be my father."

"Let's just say that approaching you is more beneficial."

"The authority is not mine."

"Very well then." The shuffling of papers could be heard through the kitchen door. "If you would excuse me… Actually, wait. Ms. Kirijo? Would you mind if I have a quick talk with Hamuko?"

"Be my guest."

"Thank you."

The kitchen door swung up, and a very annoyed looking Tanaka walked in. After giving his surroundings a quick scan, the business man faced Hamuko and gave a wolfish grin. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," Hamuko replied with a small nod of her head, ignoring the now awkward look Tanaka was giving her. Pausing after setting a bowl down on the kitchen counter, the girl tilted her head in confusion. "Is there something you need?"

The man gave a small cough before breaking out into a grin that was obviously fake. "Ah, yes, well, I just wanted to know if you could do me a small favor, Hamuko."

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get Mitsuru-senpai to change her mind," Hamuko said, resisting the urge to giggle as Tanaka made a facial expression that made him looks rather constipated.

"Then maybe Minato-kun would be ab-"

"He'll probably demand payment in Pocky again," Hamuko chimed in. This time, the girl wasn't able to hold in her laughter as the business man's face transformed into one of horror. The indignant look that Tanaka shot her didn't help stifle her laughter. "Is this business deal really that important?" Hamuko asked after finally calming down.

Tanaka sighed as he gazed at the door that led back to the lounge. "The deal itself is not very profitable. The friendship that could emerge from this deal? Priceless. Do you know how much money I could make if I had the Kirijo Group backing me up on every business transaction?"

"Err, how could you call the Kirijo Group friends if you're just using them to make more money?"

"Welcome to the world of success and business, Hamuko -where friendships are based off of profits and using each other for personal gain," Tanaka scoffed.

Hamuko felt herself sweatdropping. As expected of the keen and sly business man. Shaking her head in half amusement and half disappointment, the model reached up towards the cupboards and pulled out another bowl. "Yes, well, I'm afraid I can't help you here. Sorry, Tanaka-san."

The business man gave a dramatic sigh. "Then maybe I shou-"

"HAMUKO-SENPAI! I'M HERE!"

Cue one Rise Kujikawa.

Hamuko merely smiled as the kitchen door suddenly burst open and Rise came rushing in order to give her upperclassman a tight hug.

"How are you, Senpai? Thank you so much for today… I don't know what I would have done without you. Speaking of which, what kind of dish should I be making? My teacher recommended onigiri, but I think that's much too simple. What do you think?"

"Rise-chan, calm down," Hamuko giggled, returning the hug. "One question at a time."

"Ah, sorry," the model blushed as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess I got a little bit too excited."

"Nah, you're perfectly fine," Hamuko replied, waving a hand dismissively before a confused look crossed her face. "Huh? Where did Tanaka-san go?"

The rising idol mirrored Hamuko's facial expression. "Wha…? Tanaka-san was here? But I didn't see him at all."

"Maybe it would be better if you knock next time," Tanaka's voice rang out our dryly. The kitchen door than Rise had slammed open swung forward, revealing the business man to the two girls. A deep red comically colored Tanaka's nose and forehead.

"Uh, whoops? S-Sorry, Tanaka-san," Rise sheepishly apologized as she gave the old male an apologetic bow.

"So, uh, Tanaka-san, you were saying?" Hamuko asked, purposely casting her eyes to the ground in order to avoid looking at Tanaka's face and laughing. Laughing at your boss's misfortune was not exactly the best way to remain on friendly terms with him.

The business man grunted and gingerly rubbed the spot where the door had hit his face. "You know what? Never mind. We'll continue this on another day."

"T-Tanaka-san, please don't be angry. It was an accident, I swear!" Rise begged, her eyes shining with guilt.

"It's fine," Tanaka replied curtly as he casted his eyes on the kitchen fridge. "Actually, can I have some ice for this?"

Hamuko nodded her head and immediately moved to grab an ice bag from the fridge. "How's the nose and forehead feeling?"

"Alright… Although some ice right now would make it a whole lot better," Tanaka snidely commented before taking the ice from Hamuko. "Bah…Cold."

"I think that's the point, Tanaka-san."

The business man gave a snort. "Yes, well, if you don't mind, I'm going to be taking this ice bag and head home. I'll return this to you the next time you come in."

"That's fine."

"In that case, ta-ta."

"Wait, Tanaka-san!"

The older man froze in his spot as his beady eyes traced towards the source of the voice. Rise bounced excitedly in her spot. "I know how I can make it up to you!"

"It's fin-"

"It'll be really good, I promise!" Rise insisted, firmly holding the squirming business man by the arm. Clearly, the idol wasn't taking no for an answer much to Hamuko's amusement and Tanaka's dismay.

"What's going on in here…?" a new quiet voice asked, earning the newcomer the attention of everyone in the room.

"Oh, Minato-kun! You got my message!" Hamuko exclaimed, greeting her blue haired friend enthusiastically. "We kinda need to ask you a small culinary favor."

The words slowly sank into the blue haired boy as he quickly surveyed his surroundings. A look of boredom crossed his face. "No."

"Aw, how come, Senpai?!"

"Because the words "Usami,' 'culinary' and 'favor,' should never be put together in a sentence let alone in actual reality."

"It was one time, Minato-kun! Let that go!"

"And I am still recovering from that rather traumatic incident. In any case, I'm afraid I will have to refuse your plea for my help. Excuse me."

Much to the blue haired boy's dismay, he was stopped by an iron hold on his shoulder.

"Pretty please, Minato-kun? I really need your help. All you have to do is eat some of my cooking," Rise begged, shooting her upperclassman her patented puppy eyes. "Please?"

"…" Sighing, Minato popped both of his headphones off his ears before running a hand through his hair. "She will not be touching the food?" he asked, pointing at Hamuko. The small comment earned the blue haired boy a small glare from her.

Rude.

"Nope! I'll be the only one cooking!" Rise chirped. Her words of confirmation appeared to have lowered Minato's guard. After another moment of silence, the blue haired boy acquiesced and nodded his head.

"Great! You guys just sit tight outside! I'll be out with the food as soon as I'm done. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long," Rise announced, quickly ushering the three out of the kitchen.

"Just how did I get dragged into all of this?" Tanaka muttered under his breath, causing Hamuko to giggle. The man, noticing the giggle, shot Hamuko a fierce glare that only made her laugh even more.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Tanaka-san," Hamuko said. "You get a free meal out of it as well. What's there to complain about?"

"Clearly, I have not taught you enough, my dear ignorant apprentice," he commented dryly before turning his attention towards Minato. "Minato-kun, what is the golden rule of business?"

"…"

"That's right: there is no such thing as a free lunch!"

"Technically, isn't Rise-chan making us some free food right now?" Hamuko thought dryly to herself. "But I guess that phrase isn't supposed to be taken literally,"

"Plus, while I'm waiting for the food to come out, I could be out there making a business deal or investing my money on something important," Tanaka ranted passionately, nearly slamming a hand down on the table. The blank stares he received from the two teens sitting in front of him caused the man to come down to earth. Giving a small cough, Tanaka said, "Anyways, how are you two? How goes the modeling business?"

"Fine," Hamuko shrugged. Next to her, Minato stared blankly into space, obviously bored and unwilling to participate. "It was a bit hard at first, but I think I'm managing."

"That's good to hear, I suppose…" Tanaka muttered, stroking his thin facial hair with his right hand. The man did not elaborate further, opting to ponder in his thoughts. Hamuko, who could think of nothing to say, shot Minato a look to urge him to say something before an awkward silence settled in.

The blank look he gave back made Hamuko sigh in defeat.

"S-So, Tanaka-san, how ha-"

"Have you two thought about your future?" Tanaka interrupted. His normally devious looking facial features were gone, replaced by a solemn, pensive one.

The question struck Hamuko as odd. While this was not the first time someone had asked her that, the unusual timing of said question had thrown her off-guard. Recollecting her thoughts, the auburn haired model slowly put a hand down on the table.

"Not particularly."

"…No."

"I see." The business man closed his eyes. "Then how about you two come work for me full-time after you get out of school?"

If the previous question had caught Hamuko off-guard, then this one had smacked her straight across the face. Sending Tanaka an incredulous look, Hamuko gave the man the most intelligible response she could think of at that moment.

"What?"

Chuckling, the business man scooted closer to the two teenagers. His usual wolfish grin was back, and his eyes gleamed with delightful anticipation. "Believe it or not, you two are one of my most popular models. Top ten in fact. And this is without any training. I'm offering you two an offer of a lifetime: come work for me."

Hamuko nervously turned her head towards Minato. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, the boy did not look a bit shocked. Almost immediately, he gave his response.

"I'll have to pass."

Despite the rejection, the man did not look a bit deterred or crestfallen. Instead, he gave Hamuko another look. "And you?"

"I… I really don't know," she finally said, unknowingly licking her now dry lips. "I haven't really thought that far into my future. At the very least, I'd like to obtain a degree."

"If you sign with me, I am willing to fully fund your higher education. You will have the complete support of Tanaka's Amazing Commodities," Tanaka said instantly, his eyes never leaving Hamuko. Noticing the look of utter surprise from Hamuko, the business man gave a thin smile. "You do not realize your worth, my dear pupil. Didn't I mention how popular you are? Do not mistake this as some sort of charity: it is an investment. By having exclusive rights to you, I'll be paid in dividends very soon."

"You know, for a business man, you're not doing a very good job of convincing me to sign with you," Hamuko replied wryly. "You were doing great until the last two sentences."

Tanaka gave a shrug. "I'm telling you the truth because I consider you my protégé. Be grateful: I don't give my clients and employees the whole side of the truth all the time."

"I'm not so sure how I should feel about that."

Brushing her comment aside, the business man broke out into a wide smile. "Anyways, I'm sure this is a hard decision for you. I'll leave the offer on the table. If you're ever interested, you know how to get in touch with me."

"Isn't this a bit sudden?"

"It may be to you, but it's been on my mind ever since the numbers came in from last month's sales. I've been meaning to ask you, but I haven't found the time to properly ask you. Many apologies if this is too sudden for you," Tanaka said, although he did not look a single bit apologetic.

"…"

"Just think about it, Hamuko. Superstar model while learning how to be a business executive. Quite the catch, isn't it?"

To be completely honest, it was an attractive bid. While the whole "superstar model" and business executive was a little too grandiose for her, having a financially secure future was tremendously tantalizing to her.

"I-"

"You don't have answer right away," Tanaka interjected smoothly. A smirk made its way onto the business man's face as he drummed his fingers against the wooden table. "In fact, take all the time you need in the world. Now then, if we're done talking, then I'll be taking my leave. Tell the girl that something urgent came up, and I had no choice but to go. Ta-t-"

"Alright! Food's ready!"

One cheerful Rise popped into the room, holding three plates of steamy food. Not noticing the mood, the idol placed a plate in front of all three members. With a weak smile, she slowly prodded the food in front of her with a spoon.

"Uh, Rise-chan?"

"Hmm? What's up, Hamuko-senpai?"

"What is this?"

"It's Omurice, of course! You know, fried rice and eggs?"

"Why is it the color of blood?"

"Oh, don't worry! I just added my own little touch to it. I'm sure it'll be delicious."

Over the many months of exploring Tartarus and fighting Shadows, Hamuko had slowly but surely developed a sort of sixth sense when it came danger and death. And right now, all of said senses were screaming at Hamuko to run away and never come back. A cold sweat trickled down her forehead as Hamuko nervously turned to look at Minato and Tanaka. Maybe they had already taken a bite, and she could see if the dish in front of her was edible based on their reactions.

Gone.

THOSE BASTARD!

"Rise-chan? Where did Minato-kun and Tanaka-san go?"

"Oh, Minato-kun said he had to take a call, and Tanaka-san said he had a meeting to attend to. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just curious," Hamuko muttered, already making plans on how exactly she was going to murder those two.

"Anyways, Senpai, the food is getting cold! Hurry up and tell me how it tastes!" Rise urged, shining those damn puppy eyes at her.

Oh, well. One bite couldn't hurt too much, right? Gulping, Hamuko slowly dipped her spoon into her dish and took a small portion. Immediately, the smell of chili peppers and wasabi flooded her nostrils as it took all of her willpower not to gag on the spot.

"Senpai? Is something wrong?"

"N-No, nothing's wrong."

Resigning herself to her fate, Hamuko slowly sank her teeth into the small bit of omurice.

"So, how is it, Senpai? Pretty good, right? Senpai? Senpai?! Holy crap! Senpai, are you okay? Is something wrong? Are you chocking? Senpai? Senpai!"

?

8/6/2009

Hamuko could only let out a shiver as another cold breeze danced in the air around the traveling group of high school students. Too preoccupied with what was to happen, Hamuko had forgotten to wear another layer of clothing.

"Ah, this sucks…. My hands are going to freeze off!"

Apparently, Hamuko wasn't the only one lacking in thicker clothes. Even the regal Mitsuru looked slightly annoyed and bothered by the cold. Luckily for them, the underground facility wasn't too far away according to Fuuka.

"According to Lucia, it should be… Ah, I think that's it!"

In the distance, a large wooden door was dimly lit by the pale green light of the moon. While the door was tightly shut, a dark, sickly presence leaked its way through the giant door. As the group slowly made its way closer to this door, the air grew more palpable.

"Geez, can't we catch a break for once and get something that probably won't kill us?" Junpei joked as he gave the wooden doors a mocking knock. "Hello?"

"Junpei-kun, cut it out! This is serious!" Hamuko said, although the smile that slipped onto her face made it clear that the girl did not truly mean what she said.

The baseball loving boy, perhaps encouraged by her smile, continued knocking on the door. "Hello? Anybody in there?"

"Why yes. We've been expecting you."

Suddenly, the door, once tightly shut, opened. Standing behind the door were two figures. The first figure, tall and lanky, stared at the group with his pale yellow eyes. His long hair flowed in the wind, and despite not wearing a shirt, he did not seemed bothered by the cold breeze. Next to him was a shorter male wearing glasses. While his dark blue hair and glasses were noticeable, the most distinguishable feature about him was the white briefcase he held in his right hand and…

"Is that a hand grenade he's holding?!" Hamuko thought to herself in horror. Judging from the nervous fidgeting and the unmistakable sound of saliva being swallowed, everyone else noticed the dangerous weapon.

"Where are my manners?" The taller man chuckled in amusement. Despite his nonchalant manner, his eyes coldly studied and calculated the group that was in front of him. "My name is Takaya. This is Jin. Many know us as Strega."

"Strega…?"

"What exactly do you want from us?" Hamuko asked cautiously, licking her suddenly dry lips.

"What do we want…?" Again, a chuckle escaped the man's lips. A slight shiver ran down Hamuko's spine. "Let's just say that we've had an eye on your little group for quite some time. From what we've come to understand, you're here to, well to put it simply, 'save the world.'" Takaya curled his fingers into quotations, emphasizing the sarcasm that he spoke with.

Well, he was right in a way, obvious sass and leering aside.

Cautious nods were given to the speaking man. In response, Takaya's grin grew feral, hints of a taunt ingrained within.

"Then I guess tonight is the night where Jin and I put an end to this cute little dream of yours."

Instantly, each member of S.E.E.S. brandished their weapons and pointed them at the two men standing in front of them. Instead of looking perturbed or intimidated, Takaya barked out a cruel laugh while Jin merely pushed his glasses further back on the bridge of his nose.

"A pity that we must fight while Tartarus looms so magnificently over us," Takaya sighed wistfully. "The tower of demise deserves much better than this."

"Why are you doing this?" Yukari cried out, ignoring the insane ramblings of the tall, lanky man.

"If you put an end to the Shadows and the Dark Hour, that would put an end to our powers as well," Jin quietly announced, speaking for the first time. "And that's something we can't let happen."

Power…? Slow realization dawned upon Hamuko.

"So you're just going to let the rest of innocent people die out just so you can keep your powers?" Junpei roared as a flame of anger ignited within his eyes.

"Naturally."

"Bastards…!" the boisterous male growled. Without warning, Junpei charged at the two, his right hand cocked back.

"Junpei-kun wait!"

Before he could even lay a hand on Takaya or Jin, Junpei found himself flying backwards several feet. He would tumble down the long corridor for a couple of seconds before slowly picking himself back up. "Wha…?"

"These guys are Persona users," Hamuko yelled as she jumped back to increase her distance.

"Oh? Looks someone in their group actually possesses a brain, Takaya," Jin scoffed. "Someone give the girl a prize."

"Go to hell," the model hissed in response, pulling out her Evoker and placing it against her temples. Her index finger twitched in anticipation.

"Such harsh words from such a delicate looking face."

"Enough!"

Mitsuru's strong voice echoed throughout the room. Surprisingly, even the hostile duo gave pause. "Just why are you doing all this?"

"The Dark Hour is a time for my own amusement. I won't let even the princess of the Kirijo Group take this time away from me!" Takaya shouted, hints of a maniacal grin appearing on his face. Jin stood passively next to him, although it was clear that the bespectacled male was in complete agreement with him. "This also applies to the tower of demise."

"Y-You…. You guys are insane! There's no telling what might happen if we let the Shadows roam around freely!" Yukari shouted, anger and fear laced within her voice.

"And what difference does it make?" The scoff that Takaya let out made it clear how little he cared. "Humans are weak creatures that will forever be prone to disasters. What is currently happening is no different from that of another calamity. No one will know when chaos will strike. Besides, Jin and I are not the only ones who have benefited from the Dark Hour… Your little group has been blessed by the coming of the Dark Hour! Once, you were destined to be stuck in your little mundane lives. Now you are significant. You have power. Am I not correct?"

"You think our powers are worth the possibility of thousands of people dying?"

"The 'justice' and 'morality' argument." Jin sniffed as he took off his glasses to clean them with the hem of his sleeves. "Those are all just excuses to justify your own selfish reasons. I'm sick and tired of them."

"Excuses? How is tha-"

A low rumbling suddenly occurred, cutting Hamuko midsentence. It would take the entire group a couple of seconds to realize what exactly was happening.

"The door! It's closing!"

"Have fun in there," Jin said, the last of his sneer disappearing as the doors finally closed in on themselves.

"Dammit! They locked us in!" Akihiko hissed as the boxer pounded his fist on the doors multiple times before relenting. "What now?"

"We move forward."

Seven pairs of eyes focused in on one Minato Arisato. Amazingly, his stoic face remained the same, as if the dark conversation had never happened in the first place.

"There is no point in wasting our energy right now. The Shadow still remains."

"Arisato is right," Mitsuru slowly said with a small nod of her head. "Instead of worrying about Strega, I suggest we focus on the task at hand."

"Agreed," Aigis robotically announced. "My sensors tell me that the Shadow is still within the vicinity."

"Alright then. That sounds like a plan. Let's move out," Hamuko ordered. "Everyone stick together –there's no telling where the Shadow might come from. Akihiko-senpai, can you take point with Junpei-kun? Go to the next room and wait for everyone else. If there are any Shadows in there, call for help or run out."

The burly upperclassmen gave Hamuko a quick nod before turning towards Junpei. "Hey, you heard her. Let's go."

"Right."

As the two males slowly began to make their way to the front of the group, Hamuko began to assign different roles and positions to the other members of the group. One by one, each member left Hamuko to fill in their respective positions until only one more person remained.

"And Minato-kun, can you take up the position next to Mitsuru-senpai? I know it's not your usual spot, but since Aigis-san still doesn't seem to like you, I'm afraid that I'm going have to switch you around a bit."

"…"

"Minato-kun?"

"Ah, my apologies, Usami," the blue haired boy responded after a quick tap on the shoulders from Hamuko. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"No, it's okay… Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine, Usami. I appreciate the concern, however," Minato quietly responded before flashing a reassuring small smile at Hamuko. "I believe you said next to Kirijo-senpai, correct?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Well then, I'd best be off."

The stoic boy left, leaving Hamuko alone in the room. Blinking owlishly, the model tapped a finger on her temple as she recalled the odd expression on Minato's face.

Was that pity that she saw in Minato's eyes?

"No. Frikin. Way."

"Why the hell is there an active tank down here?"

What the hell indeed. When the group had finally reached the innermost part of the underground base, what awaited them was an authentic tank. The upper portion of the large tank that was in front of them slowly turned around, revealing an armored head with giant golden wings attached to its side. Its most prominent feature, however, was the artillery cannon that was aimed squarely at the groups.

"This is the Shadow?!"

A low rumbling noise began to emit from the tank, instantly prompting the members of S.E.E.S. to scatter like ants.

"Don't tell me it's going to shoot us right now?!"

"Everyone! The Shadow is using the tank as armor! Its arcana is Justice, wait, it's Chariot?!" Fuuka announced over the mental link she shared with each member of the group. "Lucia keeps scanning two entities for some reason!"

"Just what in the hell is going on?" Akihiko shouted, tumbling forward as he narrowly dodged the artillery cannon shell that the Shadow had shot at the senior student. An ear-splitting sound screamed through the air as the shell finally impacted the ground.

"Senpai!" Hamuko called, instantly calling upon a support Persona from the Sea of Souls that laid within her. "Diarama!"

"Thanks," he grunted gratuitously as a light green aura surrounded him and instantly healed all of the minor cuts that had been inflicted upon him. "Fuuka! Any tips on beating this thing?"

"I'm sorry, but Lucia can't scan a weakness for some reason!" Fuuka shouted, obvious frustration dripping down her voice. "Please try to hold on as I work something out."

"You hear that, everyone? Just try to survive while Fuuka-chan figures this thing out!" Hamuko ordered as she pulled the trigger of her Evoker. A war cry reverberated as a giant humanoid armored in golden steel materialized. Without warning, the God of War rushed towards the giant tank and swung its magnificent blade at the Shadow. Hamuko found herself smiling slightly in satisfaction as the blade sliced through part of the tank armor. "Hey, it looks like physical attacks work pretty well on this thing!"

"Aw, hell yeah!" Junpei roared, whipping out his Evoker. "Hermes! Kill Rush!" Golden wings fluttered rapidly as the God of Thieves joined his fellow member of the Greek Pantheon in battle. Like Ares, Hermes rushed recklessly at the Full Moon Shadow, slamming its body haphazardly onto the armored foe.

"Order acknowledged. Summoning Persona," the mechanical voice of Aigis called out. Palladion, a towering armored being wielding a spear with an orthodox jousting grip, elegantly descended and charged into the fray of battle. "Calculations complete. While damage inflicted appears to be minimal, the continuously barrage of attacks do seem effective."

The now familiar low rumbling sound emitted once again from the tank, instantly breaking the formation of the group.

"Mitsuru! I think it wants to attack you next!"

"I can see that, Akihiko!"

"Yo, Yuka-tan! You think you can throw me some medicine over here or heal me? That last attack actually managed to hit me a little."

"Kinda busy supporting Aigis-san here, Stupei!"

All chattering on the battlefield ceased immediately as another shot was fire from the cannon. Shouts of pain sounded across the room as each member of S.E.E.S. found themselves being hit by debris or flying across the room from the impact of the shell.

"That one was a lot stronger than the one before," Hamuko muttered to herself, reaching into her pockets for a healing salve. Biting off the top, the model quickly applied the salve over her wounds before turning her attention back onto the battlefield. Next to her, Minato mimicked Hamuko's action and rubbed a small vial of medicine over his right arm. "Are you okay, Minato-kun?"

"Never been better, Usami," the blue haired boy responded dryly, making Hamuko almost roll her eyes despite the situation. "Any ideas?"

"None at the moment… watch your left!" Hamuko shouted, rolling out of the way of a well-placed mini-cannon shot by the giant Shadow. "I think I'm going to need a bit of time to think something out actually."

"In that case, I will distract the Shadow while you gather your thoughts."

"Minato-kun! That's dangerous!"

"I will be fine, Usami. Just focus on creating a strategy."

Without another word, the blue haired boy took off, quickly flanking around the Shadow as he pulled out his Evoker and fired the trigger.

"Orpheus!"

The great musician of Greek mythology heeded his calls, instantly appearing and swinging his giant lyre at the enemy. The blunt end of the lyre clashed with the armored tank, and while the blow was not enough to cause significant damage, it served its purpose of catching the attention of the Shadow.

"Minato-kun, you idiot!" Hamuko shouted as irritation began coming off her in waves. Sighing after a brief moment, the auburn haired girl wiped the small sweat off her brow and began scanning the battlefield. Obviously, the biggest problem here was the armor of the Shadow. So far, singular physical attacks, while somewhat effective, ultimately proved to do little in the big picture –it was likely that they were going to tire themselves out before killing the Shadow. So if physical attacks weren't the answer…

"Junpei-kun!"

"Wassup. Hamu-tan?"

"When I give the signal, I want you to cast the strongest Agi spell you got on the Shadow!"

"You got it!"

"You too, Akihiko-senpai! Cast your strongest Zio spell as soon as Junpei-kun casts his!"

"Alright."

"Mitsuru-senpai?"

"I understand."

Slowly, the God of War disappeared from the battlefield as Hamuko recalled Ares back into her mind. The Persona gave a great roar of displeasure as it was forcefully dragged back into the crevices of Hamuko's mind. The familiar tingling sensation ran down Hamuko's spine as she called forth another Persona.

"Eurydice!"

"Hermes!"

"Polydeuces!"

"Penthesilea!"

A combination of ice, lightning, and fire came roaring down upon the Shadow, which was busy raining down artillery fire upon Minato. Like a cat, the blue haired boy gracefully leapt out of the blast radius of the incoming attacks.

Smoke distorted Hamuko's vision as the model squinted her eyes in order to get a better grasp on the situation. The low rumbling sound that the tank seemed to constantly produce no longer sounded. An easy grin made its way onto Hamuko's face as the smoke dissipated, leaving the giant Shadow lying on the ground motionlessly.

"Alright!" she cheered. Next to her, Yukari gave a small sigh of relief as the archer flashed Hamuko a quick thumbs up. Akihiko and Mitsuru merely nodded their heads in satisfaction as opposed to Junpei, who was jumping in the air ecstatically. Aigis, almost as expected, stared passively at the Shadow. Despite the victory, a brief wave of worry and guilt hit Hamuko as she rushed over to Minato. "Minato-kun! Are you okay?"

"I am fine, Usami. The Shadow did not hit me while I was distracting it."

"That's beside the point, dummy!" she scolded, flicking Minato's forehead who grunted back in slight pain. "You put yourself in danger even though there was no need for it."

"…"

"Look, I know you're really strong and everything, but you can't ju-" To Hamuko's annoyance a hand shot up in front of her, cutting her off midsentence. "Minato-kun, I-"

"It appears that we are not finished just yet, Usami."

"Wha…?"

"Everyone!" The sudden call from Fuuka made Hamuko jump slightly from her position. "The Shadow… It's not dead yet!"

Almost on cue, the Shadow slowly rose back up much to the shock of everyone. The sound of machinery roared back to life as the bottom half of the tank slowly began to vibrate wildly. In an almost comical fashion, the large cannon of the tank popped off the tank and floated in midair. The giant wings that originally appeared to just be decoration slowly fluttered as the newly revealed bird-like creature aimed its long cannon that it was carrying menacingly at the group. The tank that the bird-like Shadow had disconnected from slowly stood up, using its tank treads as legs and arms. In the middle of the tank was a giant yellow face that, oddly enough, smiled almost charmingly at the group.

"Oh, I see…" Fuuka whispered into the mental feed. "The vehicle's arcana is the Chariot while the Shadow holding the turret possesses the Justice arcana! Those things were working together the entire time!"

"Great, does that mean we have to kill these things again?" Yukari yelled, grabbing an arrow from her quiver and launching it from her bow. Unfortunately, the Justice Shadow dodged the flying projectile with ease and returned fire.

"I guess that means I get more time to shine! Hermes!" Junpei roared, summoning the Greek god once more. Hails of fire dropped from the heavens as the plumes bombarded the Chariot Shadow repeatedly.

"I summon you!" Like Junpei's, Mitsuru's Persona conjured up its specialty magic, calling forth blocks of absolute-zero ice upon the tank half.

Finding no wrong with the current flow of attacks, Hamuko raised up her Evoker and yelled, "We'll deal with the Justice Shadow later! For now, focus fire on the Chari-"

"Ahhh!"

"Yuka-tan!"

Biting back a curse, Hamuko quickly spun around and ran towards the screaming Yukari. The archer was limping badly away from the battlefield clutching what appeared to be a scorched arm. She flashed Hamuko a weak smile.

"Sorry, looks like it kind of got me," Yukari apologized, wincing as Hamuko gently applied pressure on the injured arm.

"I can fix this," Hamuko murmured. "Dia!" Instantly, the scorches on Yukari's arm disappeared as a warm, green aura surrounded it. After the aura had disappeared, Hamuko pulled out a small medical tube from her back pocket and squeezed out a generous amount of medicine from said tube onto Yukari's arm.

Yukari shot Hamuko a gracious smile. "Thanks."

"No problem, Yukari-chan. Can you stand?"

"Y-Yeah, but I don't think I'll be able to use my bow for a bit," Yukari replied, wincing as she attempted to pull the drawstring of her bow. "I should be able to provide support with Io though."

Hamuko gave a nod. "Don't overdo it, Yukari-chan. Try to hug the walls at the back so the Shadows don't notice you. If something happens, yell for help."

"Got it."

Giving her friend one last look, Hamuko refocused her attention onto the battlefield. What greeted her made her mutter a dark curse under her breath. With the absence of a dedicated healer, the group had fallen into a much more defensive position –allowing the two Shadows to gain considerable tactical positioning and a steady rhythm. Already, Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru had their backs pressed against the far wall as they scrambled about to avoid the bombarding attacks from the Shadows. Minato and Aegis shot various attacks at the backs of the Shadows, but the attacks were often to no avail as the Chariot and the Justice shrugged off each attack and responded by throwing another wave of canon shells and lightning at the slowly tiring Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru.

"This isn't good," she thought, biting the lower part of her lips. A cold sweat trickled down her left temple as a thousand different scenarios played out in her mind. Unfortunately, every single ended in some sort of death. "Think, Hamuko, think! You have two Shadows that are currently acting in sync with one another. The only plausible solution to this is causing enough damage in one single blow to interrupt the flow of the Shadows. Minato-kun's and Aigis-san's attacks are clearly not strong enough, so I'm going to have to come up with something a lot stronger. The problem is that I don't have anything that strong eno-"

"You insult me, Summoner."

The sinister words that echoed in Hamuko's mind gave her pause. Most Personas that dwelled in Sea of Souls thus so far did not speak her. At most, they projected their ideas and desires to her by sharing their senses and emotions with her. Jack Frost, for example, would often send spikes of childish curiosity whenever something of notable interest caught his attention while the ever so spiteful Ares would send waves of bloodlust whenever Hamuko set foot into Tartarus.

This Persona, however, was different.

From the very moment she created this Persona in the Velvet Room, the Persona had taken the liberty of voicing its thoughts and ideas to her. Whispers of dark suggestions and cruel taunts haunted Hamuko until she finally put her foot down, banishing the Persona into the far corners of her mind and soul. From that point on, the Shadow remained quiet and inactive –causing Hamuko to nearly forget about the existence of this particular Persona.

Until this very moment.

"Are your friends not in peril? Do they not require my assistance? Use me, Summoner. Call upon me, and I shall heed your call and vanquish all your enemies."

The Persona's taunts dripped into her mind like the sweet honey. The allure of its words was so tempting to take, yet, Hamuko gave pause. The source of the voice gave out a dark chuckle, realizing why its user was being so hesitant.

"You fear using me because I am an evil demon. My very existence contradicts all that you and your precious little friends stand for. You fear the reactions of those around you. And most of all, you fear me and what would happen if you allow me to walk your plane. Those are valid concerns. My powers may adversely affect those around you. My powers may bring the scorn and hatred of your dear companions. And of course, you have every reason to fear me, for I am an evil that brings disaster and chaos onto anyone I choose for them to befall upon. But you do not understand, Summoner." The Persona gave pause, allowing its words to completely sink in before speaking once more.

"I am a necessary evil."

Igor had warned her that Personas of such power and mystic were dangerous to use recklessly. One single mistake, and the very weapon she wielded could be pointed at her and her friends.

"You are mistaking caution with fear, Summoner. Are you friends not dying right in front of your eyes? Does the fate of the world not hang on your shoulders? You are hesitating, effectively threatening the lives of your friends."

A violent shockwave rippled as another cannon shell landed next Akihiko and Junpei. The impact sent both males flying across the room, a dull noise sounding in the air.

Only Akihiko stood back up.

"Do you see, Summoner? Left and right, your friends are being hurt. Why con-" The being paused as a cruel smirk danced itself onto its face. A low thunder boomed within the Sea of Souls as the demon cackled menacingly. "At long last."

"Yamata no Orochi!"

"Well done, Summoner. Well done," a slithery voice congratulated as the massive eight-tailed and headed serpent materialized. Sixteen serpent eyes wandered the room before finally settling onto the two Shadows that stood in the middle of the room. Unlike before, where the duo threw out barrage after barrage, the Shadows froze in their place –as if they were analyzing the new Persona that leered at them. "Die," it whispered, lashing out a single tail at the Justice Shadow.

Instantly, the Justice was sent flying across the room at unbelievable speeds. Dust filled the room as the Shadow crashed viciously through the far wall, leaving a giant hole in its wake.

"W-Wow. I didn't know you had something this strong, Hamuko," Yukari called out from behind.

"I-I didn't know it was this strong either," Hamuko stuttered back, her eyes unable to leave the giant serpent's form. Who would have thought that this Persona could possess so much strength?

"You insult me, Summoner," Yamata no Orochi hissed in her mind, turning one of its many heads at its caller. "I am the great Yamata no Orochi from the legends. No mere enemy will… Ah, how quite interesting. For a moment, I thought this battle would be quite tedious."

Emerging from the hole in the wall was the Justice Shadow. Its wings were clipped, and the wear on its body made it clear how much damage a single attack from the legendary serpent did to it. What surprised Hamuko most, however, was the bright golden aura that surrounded the feathered foe. Glancing at the bigger Shadow, Hamuko was met by the same golden aura.

"What the…"

The wings of the Justice regenerated as the winged shadow took flight in the air once more. Without warning, the Shadow aimed its turret at the unconscious Junpei.

"Junpei-kun!" Hamuko screamed as the booming sound of the artillery fired.

Dust once again filled the room, blinding Hamuko and the rest of S.E.E.S. The icy sensation of dread and horror filled her veins as Hamuko desperately wandered through the smoke in hopes of finding Junpei.

"And here I thought I was the evil being here," the Persona chuckled as its heinous voice leaked inside Hamuko's head. A sense of relief rushed throughout the model's body as Hamuko collapsed onto her knees.

A single tail dangled freely in the air. In the middle of it was a well-sized hole that was already beginning to regenerate itself. Underneath the tail laid an unconscious Junpei.

"So you can heal each other. Perhaps you two will be able to entertain me after all."

The smile that appeared on all eight heads sent a shiver down the spines of all conscious members of S.E.E.S.

"Permission to attack, Summoner?"

The small nod Hamuko gave was all it needed as Yamata no Orochi launched itself at the two Shadows, hissing delightfully into the desolate night.

"So, I take it everything went well?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"During the mission, we met a group of people who called themselves Strega."

"Strega…?"

"Yes, the most worrisome thing about them is that it appears that they can summon Personas."

"What?! Mitsuru…"

"Yes, it may get a bit more troublesome in the future. Chairman, could you look into this group?"

"I'm already on it."

"Thank you. Also…"

"Hmm? Is something the matter, Mitsuru?"

"No… It's nothing."

"Mitsuru, you know that I can't help you if you don't tell me what is wrong."

"…It's Usami."

"Did something happen to her?"

"No, nothing of that sort. In fact, she performed extraordinary well today."

"Then what is the issue, Mitsuru?"

"…"

"Mitsuru, I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is."

"…"

"Well, if you're not comfortable talking, then maybe another time wi-"

"Today, Usami summoned a particular Persona."

"Particular Persona…?"

"It was Yamata no Orochi."

"Yamata no Orochi…? You mean the evil god from the myths?"

"Yes."

"As fascinating as that is, Mitsuru, I fail to see the problem. Did something go wrong when she summon it?"

"It can talk to Usami."

"Hmm… Talk you say?"

"Yes. According to Usami, the Persona speaks to her periodically."

"Has it influenced her in any way?"

"Not yet. Unfortunately, that's precisely what Usami is afraid of. Apparently, that's the reason why she hasn't summoned it despite having the ability to do so for quite a while."

"I see. And how is Hamuko right now?"

"She's a bit shaken, but Usami seems fine for now."

"…"

"Chairman?"

"Ah, yes. Well, let's not bother Hamuko for now. We wouldn't want to cause her unnecessary stress. When she is ready to talk, I believe she will come to us."

"Understood."

"Now then, I believe I have a group to investigate."

"Actually, Chairman…"

"Despite defeating the Shadow, I'm afraid that we seem to have fallen for Strega's trap and are currently stuck."

"I'll send someone over as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

With that, the older man closed his eyes and sunk into a nearby chair. He did not move for several seconds, opting to lightly massage the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows furrowed deeply as the chairman muttered to himself.

"Speaks to her, huh…?"

Iwatodai Dorm, Tokyo, Japan

8/8/2009

Soft, sleek covers met Hamuko's rosy cheeks as she sighed in pure bliss against the comforts of her bed.

The weekend. The word sang heavenly in the model's mind as she snuggled as humanely as possible to her pillow. The week had been extremely stressful, and understandably, Hamuko wanted to do nothing but laze around at her own leisure. And that meant sleeping well past her usual schedule of seven in the morning.

"Usami, can you please open the door?" Three loud wooden knocks echoed in her room.

Hamuko nearly screamed in frustration as her otherwise perfect Saturday was interrupted by the person standing outside her door.

"Great. Isn't this turning out to be quite the cliché scene?" Hamuko moaned to herself as she slowly began to rise out of bed. The knocks on the door came again in a louder fashion. "All we need to complete this typical scene is m-" On cue, Hamuko's left foot became tangled with her bed cover. Startled at her sudden inability to move, the girl gave a yelp as her forward momentum forced her to stumble out of bed. Her head erupted in pain as she crashed to the ground –her foot still on the bed while the rest of her upper body sprawled on the ground.

"…Am I interrupting something?" The cool voice of Mitsuru did little to hide her amusement as the school president stepped forward to help untangle Hamuko.

"No, not at all," Hamuko groaned, sending an appreciative look at Mitsuru as she nursed her slightly injured head. "Did you need me?"

"Yes. When you are ready, please come to the meeting room. I have something to announce to everyone," Mitsuru told Hamuko after making sure that the younger girl was okay. Without skipping a beat, the older beauty began to spread out Hamuko's coverings over the bed. "I apologize if it seems impromptu, but I would like to announce this as soon as possible."

Hamuko nodded her head. "Okay. If you don't mind, can you tell me what this meeting is all about?"

Suddenly, the upperclassman went rigid as an uncharacteristically sheepish look appeared on Mitsuru's face. As quickly as it came, the expression disappeared as Mitsuru gave a small cough.

"It's… Well, it's a bit difficult to explain. I think it'd be better to come and see for yourself."

"Alright, I head up as soon as I can," Hamuko replied, right eyebrow raised in curiosity. Just what was it that was too hard for Mitsuru to explain? "Actually, is it okay if I come like this?" The model pointed to her sleepwear.

"I don't see why not," Mitsuru said with a nod of her head. "The sooner we finish this meeting, the better it'll be for everyone else."

"Great! Let's go, Senpai!" Hamuko chirped as she headed out her door.

The two walked in relative silence as they headed up to the fourth floor of the dormitory. Upon their arrival, Hamuko suddenly froze in her tracks just as she was about to open the door. An ice-like sensation ran down her spine as the girl ignored the curious looks Mitsuru was sending Hamuko.

"Why am I getting the feeling that I should be running in the opposite direction? No wait, I'm being silly. I'm going into the meeting room, not Tartarus. It's going to be fine."

Steeling her nerves, Hamuko opened the door and was promptly greeted by one of her greatest fears.

Koromaru.

Aghast, Hamuko couldn't even summon the will to scream in terror as the great white Shiba Inu cheerfully leapt on top of Hamuko and began to lick her face. Each slimy lick to the face caused greater distress for the model as her vision began to spiral out of control.

"Koro-chan!" Fuuka's voice faintly penetrated Hamuko's dazed state as the mint haired girl grabbed the dog's collar and gently pulled him off. "Koro-chan, Hamuko-chan doesn't like it when you do that to her."

Whining, the dog relented and trotted off. Despite Koromaru's absence, Hamuko remained motionless as she, in a vain attempt, tried to regain her bearings.

"Uh, is Hamu-tan going to be okay?" Junpei asked, poking Hamuko in the cheeks before helping the girl up. "Oi! Earth to Hamu-tan? Hello? Anybody home?"

"I… I'll be fine, Junpei-kun," Hamuko muttered as she finally came to her senses. The girl gladly accepted the cup of water Akihiko offered to her and took a shaky sip from the cup.

"So now we're just waiting on Minato?" Akihiko asked.

"Uh, Minato-kun just came in a minute ago. He's with Koro-chan right now."

All eyes veered towards the blue haired boy who was seated comfortably on the coach. In his lap laid Koromaru who let out a whine of pleasure as Minato fondly scratched the white dog's ears with one head as the other one rubbed his belly. An aura of unmistakable cheer and affection emitted from Minato as he continued to administer his petting techniques on Koromaru. To everyone in the room, Minato appeared to be in complete peace and happiness.

"Geez… How come Koro-chan is the only one who can make Minato-kun that happy?" Yukari whispered out loud, echoing the thoughts of everyone in the room.

"Ahem."

The sound of Mitsuru clearing her throat snapped everyone out of the amazement as the trained their eyes on the red haired beauty. Minato's hands continued to scratch and pet the dog.

"As you may noticed, we have someone new sitting with us today. A few days ago, it has come to our attention that Koromaru possesses the Potential."

The announcement made everyone in the room pause in shock. The only thing in the room that moved were Minato's hands and fingers.

"After discussing some issues and concerns with the Chairman, we have agreed that recruiting Koromaru will only be beneficial to us at S.E.E.S. As such..." Mitsuru produced a black collar from a nearby drawer. Attached the collar was a blue sphere. "Koromaru will be joining our ranks effectively immediately." The upperclassman walked over to the dog and put the collar on him.

"Wait, how can he fight the Shadows when he can't even use an Evoker?" Junpei cried out. "I doubt that Koromaru can pull the trigger on one of the Evokers."

"That is what the collar is for," Mitsuru explained calmly, pointing to the bright blue part of the collar. "That part of the collar will act as an Evoker. While the tests are a little preliminary, we believe there is enough evidence and results to show that Koromaru will be able to summon a Persona."

Mitsuru's words resounded in Hamuko's mind as she stood shell-shocked from the sudden announcement. The realization that Hamuko would have to deal with Koromaru and his probable random attacks hit the model harder than a sack of bricks as she numbly took a seat in a nearby chair. The girl snuck a peek at the white dog who immediately barked back happily. While Hamuko liked the cute, good-intentioned dog, living with him was a completely different matter.

"Oh, and by the way… The chairman has brought to my attention that your academic life may be suffering due to our late night excursions. To make up for this, I've taken the liberty of applying all of us for an intensive summer course. Classes will begin next week."

"Wha-? Senpai, you can't be serious!"

"Oh grow up, Junpei. I've seen your grades: you definitely need these classes."

"Yuka-tan! Can't you cut me some slack?"

"J-Junpei-kun. Think of it as an opportunity to improve your grades instead of a chore. I'm sure you'll manage to find some enjoyment out of these classes."

"Not you too, Fuuka-tan!"

Amidst the loud banter, Hamuko abruptly stood up from her chair and began walking towards the exit.

"E-Eh? Hamu-tan? Where are ya going?"

"To bed. Please don't ever wake me up ever again."

"W-Wait! Oh crap, I think Hamu-tan's gone off the deep end guys!"

"Do not follow me. Just leave me in peace."

"Oh my god. Is it just me guys, or are Hamu-tan's eyes looking a little lifeless to you?!"

Sighing, Yukari rose from her position. "There's only one way to deal with this." Walking over to Koromaru and Minato, the archer gently petted Koromaru's head before pointing a finger at their lifeless leader.

"Koro-chan. Sic her."

Approximately fifteen minutes later, a displeased Mitsuru was forced to explain to several police officers as to why the neighbors had heard a scream that sounded like someone was being murdered.

I'm sure some of you are quite disappointed about the lack of Hamuko and Minato moments. Combined with the fact that this chapter took me forever to update, I don't blame you if you dislike the chapter. Unfortunately, this particular month in Persona 3 is quite the important one since it's what begins moving the chains so to speak. The real meat of story begins here, and I felt like I couldn't squeeze in my usual fluff without it sounding forced or making the chapter go over like 150 pages. The next two chapters are where the story really beings.

And I know it's a bit late, but apologies must be given (once again). I can't use the excuse of me being unable to write seeing how I've released multiple chapters of my Fire Emblem Fanfic over the last year. To be blunt, I've lost quite a bit of interest in Persona mainly because I can't play the game anymore. I tried a lot of things to spark that flame again, but I don't know if I'll ever have my muse ever again. I literally had to step away from the computer countless times after spending only like 5 minutes on the chapter… As I say that, however, Persona 5 is coming out this year… So who knows. Anyways, I really hope that you guys didn't notice my lack of inspiration in this chapter. I don't want to paint myself as a victim here since the lack of updates is really my own fault. I'm honestly contemplating if I should just let another author adopt this story… My pride says "No," but my mind says "Yes." What do you guys think?

Another thing to note is that I did not have anyone beta this chapter (which would explain any grammar issues you may have spotted). I suppose now will be the time to announce that I need a one. Quite frankly, I don't know if I should get one seeing how I feel like I'd be wasting his or her time with my lack of updating. I still feel really guilty of what happened with my old beta. If you're reading this Nic, I want you to know that I'm still sorry about being a lazy twat.

Anways, onto my favorite part.

Review Corner

Vivi239: Hey! You got it! I didn't think anyone would get that reference, but I guess I vastly underestimated you and the others who got it. Hopefully, you've enjoyed the chapter as much as the previous ones despite the long absence. And sorry if you were disappointed by the lack of Minato and Hamuko moments… Unfortunately, the story is really picking up here and squeezing in the fun moments in previous chapters is kind of difficult. On the bright side, the "real" story begins here so to speak. I hope you look forward to future chapters. Thank you reading and reviewing.

Nightly7: Uh… Well, did you think this particular day will come? D: Sorry for the long wait… I hope the quantity and quality of this chapter makes up for everything. Minato is really awesome, isn't here? What's exciting for me is that he's only going to get more awesome in the upcoming chapters (at least in my opinion). And writing interactions between Hamuko and Minato is always my favorite thing to do (except for this chapter. This one was bleh since it was all setting up for future plot). As always, thank you for reading and maintaining an interest in this story despite the lack of updates!

anima-sylviette: Sorry I didn't update faster… But hey, but late then never, right? Okay, I'm sorry…. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Sir Godot: Yes! Catherine was one of my favorite games, and I definitely had a fanboy moment when I realized I could incorporate part of it into my story. I actually have some original content regarding Vincent and Hamuko in mind, so look forward to it. And, uh, maybe? ;) I can't really say much about what Minato was saying with that line. You'll see in the future. And dang, you got the reference. Congrats on getting that reference. I honestly did not think anyone would get it. Guess it's too much of a cliché. And good last meal. Solid choice with the food and people. Thanks for the support after all this time. Hopefully, I'll get to see you in commentating again despite the huge wait.

Iyth: Well, do you see any rust now? O_o Hopefully, the answer is no. And hopefully, I didn't make you too disappointed with the long wait. And Minato's true potential? It'll come out. And trust me, it'll come out with a bang. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it very much.

titan. : Here you go! Sorry for the long wait… Hope you enjoyed it!

Sacchin: Yeah, it isn't as you see in this chapter. Did you enjoy it? Notice anything wrong? I hope not. D: Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing as always!

ShadowAngelBeta: Yep! You get internet cookies for being correct! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Adrift At Sea: Your words really make me happy… Hopefully, you'll find my characterization and writing up to par or even better. Sorry for the long wait. :/ Hmm, to be honest, I don't like lobster all that much, but I can definitely agree with the steak and eating with my father. Good choice. And correct! Looks like the reference was easier than I expected…. Oh well. Internet cookies to you. And as always, thank you for reading and reviewing!

Caelitea: Uh… hey? I'm so sorry about the long wait D: I don't know if you're still reading this, but if you are, I really hope this chapter was well worth the wait. You've been like my longest and most consistent reader, and I really don't want to disappoint you. :/ How have you been? The years treating you well? And yes. The Lover's scene was really fun to write. Funny little story: my mother walked in on me when I was writing it. Out of instinct, I alt tabbed immediately and thought to myself, "I am hiding from my mother the fact that I am currently writing near smut on the internet. What is wrong with me." Haha. And all those questions you asked me… I can't really say much since it'll just spoil everything. :/ If you really want to know, shoot me a PM, and I let you in on somethings. :) And if you liked the Vincent scenes, wait till you see the future chapters! I have more cameos and original content planned for him. Nothing too huge, but I think they're nice touches to the overall story. I've noticed you haven't written anything as of late (not that I can talk). Any plans to release new content? Or are you just reading in your free time? Anyways, did you enjoy the Pharos moment with Hamuko? I have something pretty special with those two in mind (at least in my opinion), so hopefully, I'll be able to live to your expectations. Ryoji is going to be so much fun to write. As always, thank you for your support after all these years. Hopefully, you'll be reading this message. :D

Delta: And I'm sure you saw the other one too. :D Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Guardiannight: Oh really? Haha, that's really good to hear. Hopefully, this chapter is the same as well. I think my writing style has changed a bit, so hopefully the positive feedback is still there. And yes, thank you for pointing that out. That little error will be fixed. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

PrinceNoctis: It's been a while, hasn't it? Hopefully, you're still around to be reading this new chapter. Really sorry that I haven't updated it in so long… I know those words may seem empty at this point, but they're really all I have for you. To make matters worse, there are not a lot of Hamuko and Minato moments. :/ This chapter was mostly to set the plot up (which was why it was kind of difficult to write for me). And yes! That's exactly the image I had in mind haha. I don't know why, but I've always had this impression that Minato is a huge animal lover. I think it fits with his stoic, cool personality for some odd reason. And well, unfortunately, as this chapter shows, Minato just becomes more of a mystery for Hamuko to solve. :/ In the future, you'll see what happens between the two. I'm sure it'll satisfy you. :D And yes, she really needs to. Fortunately, she's beginning to get the hang of things. She'll still be a bit disorganized, but she's getting better. And you managed to get the reference! :D Internet cookie for you! Although I think Internet protein powder will fit you better haha. Great answer for the poll. You're a really kind person, aren't you? :D Nonono! Keep giving me exercise advice! I love hearing you go at it. It's really awesome to see you so passionate at something! Right now, I'm working on lifting. My goal by the end of the summer is to deadlift 425 lbs. I'm currently at 315. Wish me luck! Hopefully, you're reading this. If you are, thanks for all your support after all these years. You and some others have been here since forever, and your support is really appreciated. If you aren't, well I wish you only the best in your life. Thank you!

.cheeks: Wow, your words are really comforting to me seeing how I doubt my writing skills 24/7. XD And no, I did not read the manga... Although maybe I should. And who doesn't have the hots for smart people? :) Smart characters are the best (except when they arrogant). Haha, anyways, thank your for your support. I appreciate every last word you typed to me.

LastDragonborn: Haha, the images are great, aren't they? XD Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Arrow-chan3: 3

Persona: Nope! Just been busy and lazy. :/ Hopefully, you see this chapter and enjoyed it! Thank you!

Fier66: Haha, thank you. Hopefully, that is still the case. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Forene: Uh, here you go? Sorry for the long wait… But I appreciate your support!

RomanceDagger: Yeah… It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the wait. :/ Thank you reading and reviewing.

Sapphire585: Oh, wow. Thank you. Your words really mean a lot to me. I appreciate them :) Thank you for your support after all this time.

Persona 3 girl: Here's the chapter! Sorry for the long wait. Thank you for the support!

Riachu: Hopefully, this chapter was enjoyable as well. Apologies for the long wait, but I hope this chapter was a good read for you. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Urdarum: Here it is! Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Guest: Unfortunately, I have a policy of not giving anything away to my readers. All I can say (with a heavy heart knowing my updating tendencies) is you'll have to wait and see. And hey! You got the reference! Internet cookies to you! :D Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Rapscaz: Haha, I'm glad I sold this story to you. I'm even happier to hear that my characterizations are on point. Hopefully, despite the absence, my characterizations are still good. And no, just laziness and a lack of inspiration. Many apologies. :/ And oh wow. Interesting choice. A lot of people would say their parents or best friend, but a sibling? You two must really be close. I'm jealous (my sister and I aren't exactly on the best of terms at the moment). I've never had scotch eggs before… Are they good? O_O Anyways, thank you for your support!

Biscione: Well, was this chapter just as entrancing as the previous ones? I hope so. And yes. Execution. XD Can't have Mitsuru without a good ol' traditional execution from her. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

ScorchedBacon: Sorry for the late update. Hopefully, the quality/quantity of the chapter was well worth the wait. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Asahar4: Uh…. My bad. XD Was the chapter enough to satisfy you? I hope so! And that would be quite funny, wouldn't it? You're going to have to wait and see how things turn out. Thank you for your support!

Guest: Thank you! Here's the new chapter for you. :D

Ciel: Yes, some other people have pointed that error out. With this chapter, that error should be fixed. Oh, and you don't like OCs, huh? I personally don't mind them as long as they're well-made and executed. Anyways, thank you for your correct and your support.

Synndraval: As of now, yes! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

One really funny thing to note this chapter: I wrote one of the sections drunk. Like I was seriously plastered, turned on my computer, and typed this huge part out. Of course, I found various typos and grammar errors, but the idea and story flow drunk me wrote was actually worth keeping. So I kept it after some tidying. Can you guess which section?

Chapter Poll: Ideal honeymoon location?

It's been fun seeing you guys again. I can't promise you when the next one will come out, but I will give you guys some sort of notice in the near future (whether that be putting this story up for adoption or if I'm going to man up and grind through this). Thanks for reading.

Currently listening to: Second Nature ft. Veela by Starz

Until next time.

~Goojila