Hi everyone! Sorry about being inactive for a long time, been busy with school stuff lately buuuuut it's summer vacation here already so I have lotsa free time now :D This story is kind AU since the two protagonists are here and I have to erase Shinjiro's death to keep this fic light-hearted .

BTW, english is not my native language so I'm sorry if you see any grammatical errors. Anyway, enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a copy of the game where the characters came from.

I. Justice's Arrival

It was in the middle of July when Ken Amada was invited to move to a dormitory in a town nearby during the summer break. The child agreed to this and decided to act mature since he was informed that high schoolers occupy the Iwatodai Dorm.

Ikutsuki asked him to stay as he was aware that Ken has the 'potential'. The chairman had put the child through several tests and after a few weeks, Ken was standing in front of the S.E.E.S members, being introduced by Ikutsuki.

"I believe I can be of some assistance." Ken said in a calm expression. He wasn't fidgeting like someone would expect from someone his age. Instead, he stood there, still and relaxed.

"Now, I finally know why I was given this power."

The chairman smiled, satisfied, as he glanced at everyone else in the room. "…So, as you can see, it was his own decision."

The members remained silent, eyeing the boy carefully as they thought about letting such a young child join them in their missions. They have never encountered anything like this before.

Ken smiled politely-with a hint of confidence-as he bowed lightly. "Nice to meet you all, I'll try not to get in anyone's way."

With that said, the rest seemed to relax a bit. The team welcomed him and soon, the meeting ended with an encouraging "We got your back, kid." from Junpei.

The days went on a little more adventurous than usual for Ken. He had to explore the labyrinth, Tartarus during the Dark Hour with the others- which proved that he really is a great help since he always has a great performance whenever he is allowed to be one of the party members. Ken also had to stay permanently in the dorms and he didn't find this disappointing at all. The child sees Akihiko as a role model because of his fighting skills and this inspired the kid to train more and to drink milk even though he strongly dislikes it.

Ken noticed how peaceful it is in the dorm during weekends compared to the last dormitory he stayed it. He liked things better this way and he thought this could help him act a little less child-like around the others.

He would often make small chat with Hamuko or Fuuka in the hallways before running off to the lounge to 'secretly' watch his favorite TV show, Featherman R. Well, a kid has to act like his own age sometimes.

On one normal afternoon, Minato happen to run into Ken on the way home from Gekkoukan High.

The bluenette finds the younger lad brave and quite strong for his age. He thought it'd be good to strike a conversation with him every now and then.

"Hey," The bluenette greeted as he lowered the volume of his MP3. "Have you adjusted with the things we do around here yet?"

The boy smiled shyly. "Yes. I'm pretty used to it already, Senpai. I find exploring Tartarus really exciting."

"You're doing a great job, Ken. Keep it up." Minato said enthusiastically, giving the kid a light pat on the back. The two of them talked a little more about random stuff, mostly about school and small things like hobbies. They decided to grab some takoyaki before going back.

When they reached their dorm, Ken thanked Minato for his time as he opened the front doors. Both of them entered the lounge before signing their names on the sign-up sheet in messy handwritings.

Ken watched as Minato climbed the stairs to the second floor. When he was out of sight, the child plopped down on the nearest sofa beside his new friend (which he has recently met), a dog named Koromaru.

Ken stroked his belly, giggling as he earned a lick from Koromaru.

"Me and Minato-senpai had a chat and ate octopus balls on the way here, Koro-chan. I hope I can be friends with the others as well." The boy whispered. Koromaru could only bark in response.

Not long after, everyone else arrived and was called to dinner. Ken usually seats near Akihiko but this time, he immediately took the empty seat on Minato's right.

Dinner that night was accompanied with Junpei's random rants and Mitsuru's battle tips which Ken paid attention to while they feast on Shinjiro's curry.

Soon, everyone started going back to their assigned rooms. Ken gave Koromaru a light pat on the head before rushing to his quarters. He was able to rest well since neither Minato nor Hamuko signaled for Tartarus-exploring that night.

The young boy was on the mood for some shadow butt-kicking; however, he thought that it would be better to get a good night's sleep for now.

The next day was Sunday, no classes. Ken felt like going somewhere today and so he dragged himself out of his bed and threw on whatever casual clothes he could get first in his drawer.

He ran down the stairs, only to find the lounge empty with only Minato, Hamuko and Koro-chan around.

"Oh, good morning!" Hamuko greeted him cheerfully, flashing a grin. Minato simply removed his headphones, letting it hang around his neck as he smiled at him. Koromaru barked.

Ken greeted them back before heading to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. He returned to the lounge and sat with them, grimacing every time he took a sip from his drink.

"….the way you drink milk is very interesting Ken-kun." Hamuko commented, giggling.

The boy shuffled his feet, slightly embarrassed. "I..don't really like milk. I just drink it so I can be tall like you guys."

"It can make you stronger too." Minato added while he fiddled with his MP3 player.

Ken looked a little down. "Yes, but I strongly dislike the taste of it so I just…kind of force myself." He said before emptying the contents of his glass, wincing afterwards.

Minato watched the kid for a while. "Well, you don't have to force yourself. You ca-"

The bluenette was interrupted by a loud ringing sound. It seemed to be from Hamuko's phone.

"Oh looks like we gotta go. The movie's gonna start soon, Minato-kun" The red-eyed girl said, standing up. She glanced at Ken. "Want to come with?"

The boy thought that the two must be on some kind of a date and he didn't really want to meddle. Ken shook his head, "It's fine, Hamuko-senpai. I've got things to do first, really."

"Well, if you say so..." She said, grabbing Minato's arm.

The door closed after a "See ya later." from the blue-haired teen, leaving Ken and Koromaru alone.

The young boy set the empty glass on the table before making himself comfortable beside Koro-chan. "I'm not sure if they're going out but…I don't want to be too clingy and they made plans already."

Koromaru remained silent, wagging his tail wildly as Ken grabbed the remote control and turned on the T.V, "Look, another episode of Featherman R!"

The child spent a good thirty minutes watching his favorite show before turning the T.V off. He decided to spend the rest of the afternoon by walking Koromaru to Naganaki Shrine.

Ken met one of the S.E.E.S members, Junpei on the way. Junpei seemed to be daydreaming but immediately snapped out of his thoughts when he almost bumped into Ken.

"Good afternoon, Junpei-san." The younger boy said as he bowed slightly, smiling. Koromaru wagged his tail happily at the sight of him.

"Sup, kid? What are you doing here alone?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Minato's not with you, huh"

"Ah, I'm actually taking Koro-chan out on a walk. And Minato-senpai went to the movies with Hamuko-san." He explained.

Junpei gave him a puzzled look.

"But I heard that Minato's going with Yuka-tan today- OH." His lips immediately curved into a smirk. "Two-timing, I see. Man, why does that emo gets to have all the girls?"

Ken remained silent, confused.

"Um…a-are you sure about that, Senpai?" Ken stuttered. "Maybe you just heard it wrong.."

The older teen chuckled, ruffling the child's hair playfully. "Don't be surprised, kid. He doesn't look like it buuuut Minato's quite the chick magnet."

"That reminds me….I also heard Fuuka squealing last night that she's going to make bento with him next week." Junpei added.

Ken's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Junpei babbled more about the bluenette's relationships as they walked together to Naganaki Shrine-with Ken wondering how Junpei knew that much.

When they reached the place, the older teen bid Ken goodbye before running off to meet a red head girl who was busy drawing on a sketch pad.

The young boy remained deep in thought. The idea of dating both Hamuko and Yukari; Ken couldn't figure out how his senpai could do it.

After Koromaru was done playing, Ken decided it's time to head back.

"Y'know what, Koro-chan?" He started just as they left the shrine. "I...I think Minato-senpai's kinda awesome. I mean, if I follow his footsteps, I can act like a grown teenager. That would be great!"

Koromaru barked in response.

"I'll take that as a "go for it." Ken said, a mischievous smile on his face.

A/N: sooooooo...how was it? :D yea i think it's kinda fast OTL but I promise make the future chapters longer hehe

A review would be much appreciated btw ^^