This is Ryu Kotei apologizing for the very long wait as I haven't been able to do much writing since I got my job, but I will update any of my stories when I can and I may not be on Fanfiction as much.

On a final note, I do not own Naruto, any of the Persona Series, or Eye of the Tiger. They belong to their respective owners.

"Persona!" normal speech

"Persona!" thought/mind speak

"Persona!" demon/Shadow/Persona speech

Chapter IX

*Gekkoukan High*

Naruto was working on getting his desk in order as classes haven't started at the moment when his thoughts began to drift back on everything that had transpired in the past few days since they had rescued Fuuka.

She was admitted to the hospital once the Dark Hour has passed and when questioned on where she was, Mitsuru revealed that Fuuka was kidnapped by some random crook that was hoping to get rich quick with the young girl's family pooling in a lot of money due to their jobs as doctors. It was also at that time that Mitsuru had revealed Mr. Ekoda's little cover-up scheme and said teacher was under a lot of fire afterwards. The Kirijo woman quickly calmed the near riotous mob by saying that Mr. Ekoda WILL face punishment to the fullest extent as Gekkoukan will be searching for a new teacher for his replacement.

Glad that bastard's not anywhere NEAR Gekkoukan, Naruto thought bitterly as he still wanted to hurt the now former high school teacher for his actions, at least there's some people who agree with me on that point.

The sound of a door sliding open alerted the blond to the now present Fuuka as she walked in the classroom, getting a few looks from some of the girls.

"Hey," one girl whispered to her friend, "it's the Ghost Girl!"

Naruto growled a bit before he saw Natsuki approached the now nervous Fuuka.

"Don't mind them." Natsuki said with a friendly smile, "You've been through enough already."

"Th-Thank you," Fuuka said as she was slightly nervous around the girl who had bullied her, "M-Moriyama-san."

"No problem," Natsuki said with a friendly smile on her face, "and please, call me Natsuki."

Naruto smiled at the new interaction between the two girls as even though his ex-girlfriend wouldn't remember Fuuka saving her, either that or think of what had happened during the Dark Hour as some incredibly lucid dream.

Maybe things aren't going to be so bad for a while…

Classes have ended as Naruto was heading towards the gym when one of the coaches approached him.

"Hey Naruto," said the coach, grabbing the blond's attention.

"What's up Coach?" Naruto answered as he noted that this was the coach for the track team, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the coach answered regretfully, "it's Yuko. She got a little bit of food poisoning and wanted to see if you could cover for her temporarily."

"I told her not to eat Wild Duck's mystery burger." Naruto said with a shake of his head before he said, "Sure thing, I just need to let Coach Yashamaru know."

"I've already asked him and he's willing to let you cover for Yuko as long as you're alright with it." the coach said with a grateful smile, "Thanks!"

Once the coach left, Naruto quickly got his cellphone out and sent Mitsuru a text that he might be gone a little longer and he may not be able to make it to Tartarus if Minato and Kotone decide to go.

After sending the message, Naruto decided to go to the gym real quick to find that everyone wasn't wearing their gear.

"Good thing I caught you guys." Naruto called out as he got everyone's attention, "I want to let you know that I'll be covering for the manager of the track team today. You are all welcome to either go to the track field or just head on home as there will be no kendo practice today."

Some of the members smiled at bit as having no practice for the day sounded really nice while others gave the idea of checking out the track team for some extra training.

Once at the track field, Naruto looked over the track team to find Minato and one of the bluenette's classmates he would hang out with every now and then while also seeing that some of the kendo team had joined in.

"Where's Yuko?" Minato asked with a bored expression as some of the other track members were wondering the same thing.

"She couldn't make it as she had gotten sick," Naruto answered professionally as he had a clipboard in his hands, "but I was asked to cover for her and I agreed, so some of you may have noticed that some of the Kendo Club's members having joined me for the day to get some good exercise. Now I might do things a bit differently than Yuko would normally do, but we still cannot slack off; We will start off by doing some laps around the field to wake up some of our muscles that might have fallen asleep during classes."

A few chuckles was heard from the crowd before everyone started doing their laps around the field with Naruto joining them.

"Hey Naruto," Minato called out as he caught up with the blond, "Mitsuru-senpai told me that there's going to be a meeting at the dorm tonight."

"I already texted her that I might not be able to make it this evening since I decided to cover Yuko," Naruto said as he kept his pace, "I'll just asked Mitsuru what was covered so that I can know what was discussed."

Naruto then took a glance behind him to see Minato's classmate, Kazushi he believed, running a bit slower than normally. Yuko had told the blond about how Kaz would give 110% at each practice session and even train outside of club.

But that wasn't the case…

"S'up with Kaz?" Naruto asked Minato as he looked ahead to keep himself from running into something or tripping, "He seems kind of slower than normal."

"He's just having one of those off days." Minato answered as he and Naruto after the two of them rounded the bend, "You know how things can be with a highschooler's whacked-out schedule."

Naruto wanted to question further, but he dropped it for the moment as he never really spent as much time with Kaz as the bluenette had. He had no idea what Kaz's schedule was like save for school, club, and training.

But that didn't mean he wasn't concerned…

After clubs were finished, Naruto was in the shower washing the sweat and exhaustion from his body when his thoughts returned to Kaz. That boy was stubborn when it came to training and would give it everything he got, even when he wasn't supposed to.

"Just like Lee…" Naruto said to himself as memories of the taijutsu expert entered his mind as a feeling that Kaz and Lee would somehow become great friends due to their dedication to training…or their eccentric personalities.

The blond's thoughts soon drifted back to that fateful moment where his own life could have been ended. He knew that Lee and some of the others were not around due to either having missions outside of the village or still in the hospital, but Naruto still felt a little betrayed that they had never visited if they had returned from their missions.

Naruto shook his head to erase some of the depressing thoughts of his old home had he had to remind himself that Port Island was his new home now.

The sound of his cellphone going off had alerted Naruto of the time as the ringtone revealed that it was Mitsuru on the others side. Shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist, Naruto stepped out to see that Mitsuru had texted him.

The meeting will begin soon, you want us to wait for you? –Mitsuru—

"That's odd…" Naruto thought as he studied the message, "Normally she'd just continue with the meeting if someone mentioned that they weren't going to make it."

The blond quickly sent a message to his cousin to have her continue the meeting without him as he decided a trip to Mandragora might do him some good.

But still…

"Might've been checking up on me…" Naruto then whispered to himself as he considered his condition, "…but I'll let her know I'm okay."

After sending Mitsuru another text saying that he was doing fine and that he'll be at the dorm a bit late, Naruto decided to dry himself off and get dressed before leaving the school.

*Dorm*

Mitsuru was in the meeting room when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, the woman saw that Naruto had texted her back twice as the messages read:

Go ahead and start without me. I'm alright, just going to take a small detour. –Naruto-

I'll be coming to the dorm late. Just need to clear my head. –Naruto-

"He must be going to Mandragora again…" Mitsuru said with a slight sigh in her voice, "I don't know whether I should be mad at him for shirking an important meeting like this…or postpone the meeting and rush to see if Naruto is fine like he says."

"Don't be so hard on your cousin," Ikutsuki said as he took a sip of his tea, "People with PTSD lead much more difficult lives than a normal person would due to their condition, even with routines that they have that helps them cope. Anything that could set them off would create more trouble for those suffering with PTSD as their condition can become more erratic and out of control."

"I know, Mr. Chairman," Mitsuru said as she looked off to the side as she squeezed her own arm in an attempt to ease her own worries, "but Naruto is my responsibility as Father and I are his closest family now. He never had a mother or a father to help guide him or even love him…"

"So it falls onto you and your father to fill in the missing pieces since he doesn't really know his real parents." Akihiko said he saw the uncomfortable and distant look on Mitsuru's face, "That's the Uzumaki Creed, isn't it; Family above everything else."

Silence echoed in the room and it was that silence that had given the boxer what he needed.

"I know Naruto rarely talks about his past life," Akihiko then said as he leaned back on the sofa, not removing his eyes from Mitsuru, "but he'll eventually have to tell everyone the entire story; I don't even know myself as the only ones who do know the full truth about Naruto's past are you, your father, and Shinji."

"Now I do recall Ms. Shione and Junpei mentioning Naruto revealing a little bit of his past to them," Ikutsuki said with a calm tone in his voice, "and while it wasn't as much as what Mitsuru and Shinjiro might know, it still says a lot about how willing Naruto is when opening to others about his past. I'd say that's good progress!"

While the trio continued to talk amongst each other, Fuuka couldn't help but wonder more about Naruto now. As far as she could have seen, the young girl had never seen the slightest sign of PTSD in Naruto or even knew about the many secrets and mysteries behind the blond.

If asked, Fuuka would admit that a part of her is wary of the blond due to what she had learned, but she would mostly say that she is actually more curious about Naruto than cautious. Her reason for being curious is mostly to try and help and be closer to Naruto as her imagination could make so many scenarios about the blond's past life: Was he a really bad delinquent that wanted to change his ways? Did he run away from a neglected home? Was he born outside of Japan?

Whoever you are Naruto-kun, Fuuka thought to herself as the other members of SEES entered the room and took a seat around the table, I want you to know that I'm here for you should you ever need me.

*Mandragora*

Naruto was sitting at one of the tables when he suddenly sneezed.

"Wonder who's talking about me?" the blond asked himself as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose real quick before returning the cloth into his pocket.

After hearing his name being called, Naruto walked up the stage after quickly selecting a song.

This one's for you Lee…Naruto thought as he tightly gripped the microphone as the music began to build with crashes from an all too familiar tune.

Risin' up,

Back on the street!

Did my time,

Took my chances!

Went the distance,

Now I'm back on my feet!

Just a man,

And his will to survive!

So many times,

It happens too fast!

You trade your passion for glory.

Don't lose your grip,

On the dreams of the past!

You must fight,

Just to keep them alive!

It's the,

Eye of the Tiger!

It's the thrill of the fight!

Risin' up,

To the challenge of our rival!

And the last know survivor,

Stalks his prey in the night!

And he's watching us all with the eye…

…of the tiger.

Face to face,

Out in the heat.

Hanging tough,

Staying hungry…

They stack the odds,

Till we take to the street.

For the kill,

With the skill,

To survive!

It's the,

Eye of the Tiger!

It's the thrill of the fight!

Risin' up,

To the challenge of our rival!

And the last known survivor,

Stalks his prey in the night,

And he's watching us all with the eye…

…of the tiger!

Seeing how amped up the crowd was as they clapped their hands to the rhythm of the song, Naruto looked at them and said, "How about you guys help me with this last part seeing how all of you seem to know it! Just follow my lead!"

Risin' up,

Straight to the top!

Had the guts,

Got the glory!

Went the distance,

Now I'm not gonna to stop!

Just a man,

And his will,

To survive!

It's the…

(Crowd): Eye of the Tiger!

It's the thrill of the fight!

Rising up,

To the challenge of our rival!

And the last known survivor,

Stalks his prey in the night!

And he's watching us all with the eye…

…of the tiger!

The crowd roared wildly as Naruto spun the mike in his hands as he decided to replace the final lyrics with one last reprise…

It's the,

Eye of the Tiger!

It's the thrill of the fight!

Risin' up,

To the challenge of our rival!

And the last known survivor,

Stalks his prey in the night!

And he's watching us all with the eye…

…of the tiger!

The music slowly ended as everyone in the place began to cheer wildly while Naruto took a quick bow before placing the microphone back on its stand.

As he returned to his seat, Naruto saw that a new, well-dressed woman was sitting next to his seat.

"You're pretty good kid," the woman said with a smirk on her face, "especially with how you got the crowd going; Pretty rare sight to see in my books."

"Thanks." Naruto said as he took his seat before taking a drink from the water bottle he had, "I'm Naruto Namikaze."

"Maelstrom…" the woman said with a slight chuckle in her voice, "…now that's the name of a singer."

The woman reached in her jacket and pulled out a card before handing it to the blond before her as she said, "My card; I'm Melody Utahime, CEO of Songbird Records."

"Don't think I've heard of you honestly…" Naruto admitted as a small bird was in the center of a ring of music notes that it was singing on the card, "So what does a upstarting record company want with a high schooler like me?"

"Well…" Melody began as music continued to pulse through the area, "I was actually here to investigate a little rumor I heard about someone with a voice that could actually affect others. I've seen many people perform on that stage, but I've yet to find my Excalibur. One blue-haired boy did come close, but he doesn't reach out to the soul like you do, Naruto-san."

With a slightly embarrassed chuckle, Naruto scratched the back of his head as he said, "I was just venting some of those times due to my…condition."

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Melody said with a slight shocked on the blond's face, "I can see it in your eyes as my grandfather had that look many times. I do wonder how someone so young like yourself could have such a condition and I could only guess just HOW you got it in the first place."

"I'd rather not talk about it…" Naruto admitted as he tensed up defensively, "…if you don't mind."

"Fair enough." the woman said as she got up from the table, "I believed I stayed here long enough, but should you decide to be the latest music sensation, give me a call. I'll be scouting you later."

Melody professionally left the area, leaving Naruto to his own thoughts as he examined the card in his hands.

A music company's interested in me? Naruto thought as he looked to see a young girl perform a song quite beautifully even with a few out of pitch moments, Haven't felt this much attention since…

With a quick shake of his head to rid of the upcoming memories, Naruto looked around to see some of the people stealing anxious glances towards him…silently giving him a signal.

One more song should ease them, the blond thought with a shrug of his shoulders, and besides, I don't think I'm missing much anyway back at the dorm.

*Dorm*

Everyone had given their support to their latest member of SEES, Fuuka Yamagishi, as Ikutsuki then said, "Now that we've gotten matters settled…"

"Actually…" Yukari said as everyone looked at her with a look of confusion and expectation, "I would like to ask a question: What's a jinchuriki?"

The chairman's eyebrows suddenly rose in surprise as he asked, "Where did you hear that?"

Slightly nervous at the chairman's reaction, Yukari then said, "I heard it from one of the Shadows we had fought…one of them actually. Do you know what it means, Ikutsuki-san?"

Ikutsuki remained silent for a moment before he got up and walked towards the giant bookshelf in the room.

"Jinchuriki, or 'Power of Human Sacrifice', is actually a title given to a person for that just reason," Ikutsuki said as he skimmed through some of the exposed spines on the shelf, "Human Sacrifice."

"You mean like the Aztecs?" Minato asked with a raised eyebrow while a few of the others slightly paled at the idea of human sacrifice.

"If you look at it like that, then yes." Ikutsuki said as he found the book he was searching for before returning to the group while flipping through the pages, "Some ancient cultures had practiced the art of sacrificing other living creatures in order to please their gods, with the Aztecs being the most well-known for their sacrificial rituals."

The chairman placed the book on the table with it opened to reveal pictures of some demonic creature trapped inside of a person as Ikutsuki continued, "In some myths and old records from another country similar to our own, a jichuriki is actually a person that has a powerful creature sealed inside of them. That person is either seen as a savior, a weapon, or even the very demon that they have inside of them."

"But why would they look at a person like that?" Kotone asked, slightly frightened at the possibility of an actual demon being sealed inside of a person, "I mean, that person is still the same person…right?"

"Be as it may be…" the chairman said as he leaned back in his chair, "…that's not the case with some who bare this cursed title. These are people from a culture similar to our own, but most are stuck to old ideals that they pass down to their generation for prejudice reasons: Fear and Hatred. Perhaps they had lost someone they once held close or even feared for not only their own lives, but the lives of others if there was an actual demon walking around."

"But that's not right!" Junpei said with anger in his voice, "People should believe what they want to believe about others and not fall for such bullshit!"

Letting out a sigh, Ikutsuki then said, "While I do agree with you, Junpei, but sometimes what others say are indeed true while most times people just judge others into different bias categories; A threatening biker could never be an elementary school teacher because he wears leather and drives a motorcycle, nor could a sweet and innocent little girl could ever be deathly cruel to animals and to others. We always judge by what we either see or hear first before trying to learn more about the person."

Junpei quietly took his seat as he was still fuming a little about how people could treat others…but then again, who was he to judge as he was pretty sure he had some bias ideas of his own.

"I believe now would be appropriate to wrap this meeting up as Kichi must be getting impatient for her nightly walk." Ikutsuki said with a slight smile on his face, "I'd walk her myself, but she's not really that fond of me for some reason."

"I can do it," Fuuka said with a slight smile on her face, "and if I see Naruto-kun, I'll let him know what the meeting was about."

"Knowing him, he'll probably want Fuuka to go through a special initiation considering her Persona's ability." Akihiko said with a slight smirk on his face, "That means more training for me."

Mitsuru let out a sigh as the said, "Akihiko…"

Night had fallen as Naruto entered the dorm with everyone waiting for him.

"What's up?" Naruto asked as he saw the calculating look on Mitsuru's face, "Sorry if I skipped the meeting, but I needed to take care of a few things."

"It's cool," Akihiko said with a confident smirk, "We were actually waiting for you to arrive so we can help the new person get an understanding of what SEES does."

"We got a new person joining us? Cool!" Naruto said as he took a sip of his water.

The door behind Naruto opened to reveal Fuuka holding a leash that was connected to a collar Kichi was wearing.

"Greetings, Naruto-kun!" Fuuka said as she kneeled to remove the collar around Kichi's neck, "I guess they already told you that I've joined SEES beginning tonight."

The blond suddenly done a spit take and went into a coughing fit before he looked at the group and said, "SERIOUSLY!? FUUKA-CHAN'S JOINING SEES!?"

"Her abilities of observation and recon are actually far more superior than mine," Mitsuru said with a professional stance and voice, "She would be very helpful to the team."

Carefully approaching the distressed blond, Fuuka gently placed a delicate hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "It's alright, Naruto-kun, I agreed to join as I'm doing this to repay everyone for saving me that night."

Naruto remained silent as he was still in a state of conflict before Kichi walked up to him and said, "She told me everything when she took me for my walk; She's doing this because she wants to thank everyone for that night…especially you since you since you were the first she met that night. Might as well accept it as there might be more benefits for you."

The blond fought his blush at what the vixen was implying as he then said, "Meet up on the roof at midnight…I…I need to try to relax."

Everyone nodded before heading off on their own direction to take care of their own needs while Naruto climbed the stairs and headed towards his room with Kichi following him as a thought was running though his mind.

What the hell just happened?

11:59.57

11:59.58

11:59.59

12:00.00

[Dark Hour]

Everyone was on the roof with the SEES Rookies standing before the three founding members while Fuuka and Kichi were standing on the sidelines.

"Alright!" Naruto said as everyone, save for Fuuka, had foam weapons that dripped with pain, "For Fuuka-chan's initiation, she's going to help you four in this simulation as your opponents will be us."

"Seriously?" Junpei asked in complete shock at the idea of going up against SEES founders, "We're going up against YOU GUYS!?"

"Yes." Mitsuru said as she used her free hand to move some of her hair that got into her face behind her ear, "That night when Takeba and I were attacked had revealed to me that I haven't been keeping my other skills up as much; Penthesilea is more suited for combat than support like Yamagishi's Persona, Lucia."

Naruto chuckled a bit as he then said, "While my cousin is right about slacking off on Penthesilea's more combative skills, you should still never underestimate your opponent. After all…you are going up against three of the founding members of SEES; We're not going to be holding back."

At that moment, Akihiko rushed in with the initiative, surprising all but Naruto, Kichi, and Mitsuru with his suddenness, and gave Junpei a punch to the center of his chest. The attack had knocked Junpei down with a huge red blot on his chest as the others quickly jumped away into a defensive stance.

"What the hell man?!" Junpei said as he was trying to get to his feet, "We didn't even start yet!"

The young teen then saw Akihiko going in for another attack and dodged just in time to evade the attack. Yukari quickly took aim at the boxer and launched the suction dart, but missed as Mitsuru had hit her arm with her foam sword.

"Be aware of your surroundings, Takeba!" Mitsuru said as she began a flurry of attack that Yukari was barely dodging, "Remember that Akihiko isn't your only opponent!"

Minato and Kotone were about to jump in and help their friends, but they had to jump back to avoid and attack from Naruto before seeing the blond taking a battle stance before them.

"Hope you both have been keeping up with whom you're going up against!" Naruto said as he pulled out his Evoker, "Titan! Kill Rush!"

"Orpheus!" Minato cried out as he pulled out his own Evoker, "Block it!"

Both Evokers had gone off at the same time before Titan appeared and was about to strike Minato with his fist until Orpheus appeared and blocked the assault with his lute.

"Siren!" Kotone said as she pulled out her Evoker, "Bufu!"

As a shot rang out, Siren appeared and launched her ice attack in the form of music notes and made their mark as Titan flinched from the attack while Naruto was suddenly pushed back with frost in his hair.

"Not bad…" Naruto said with a devilish smirk on his face, "…but unfortunately that only tickled! Phoenix!"

Another shot rang out as Titan was soon replaced with said Persona before Naruto called out, "Agilao!"

The fiery bird waved its large wings as a large fireball was hurled towards Siren and struck the songstress in a painful blaze that knocked Kotone flat onto her back.

Naruto was about to go into a follow-up attack, but was quickly intercepted when Minato had switched his Persona and launched an electrical attack that the blond wasn't expecting.

"Gyah!" Naruto cried out as he fell hard on the roof as his body was reacting to the surge of electricity, his scar throbbing like a beating heart.

"Thanks." Kotone said after being helped onto her feet by Minato, "We need to help the others while Naruto's down."

"I know how." the bluenette said as he saw Yukari and Junpei struggle against their two senpais.

Getting the message, Kotone pulled out her Evoker as Minato's Persona was switched back to Orpheus before the duo cried out, "Battle Concerto!"

As Orpheus and Siren started their combo, a rush of energy flowed through each of the Rookies' bodies and gave them new found strength.

"Alright!" Junpei cheered with a pump of his fist, "Now we're talking!"

It wasn't too long before Akihiko was having difficulties reading the hat-wearing teen's movements as Junpei had quickly rushed towards him and was swinging with insane vigor. Mitsuru was also having trouble as Yukari was firing suction darts with blinding speed and didn't even showed any signs of fatigue.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru said as she just barely dodged a dart aimed at her arm, "Switch with me!"

With a silent nod, Akihiko grabbed his teammate's hand and pulled her towards Junpei before dashing towards Yukari, dodging arrows along the way.

"Fuuka!" Minato called out towards said girl, "I need you to scan Naruto for anything we need to watch out for!"

Taken by surprise as she was distracted with everything going on around her, Fuuka nodded as she said, "G-got it…"

The young girl focused her mind and set her sights on Naruto as Lucia soon appeared over her and Kichi.

"It might take a moment," Fuuka said with slight hesitance in her voice, "but once I get the information, I'll pass it on to everyone on your team."

Seeing that Naruto wasn't getting up at the moment, both Minato and Kotone decided to charge towards Mitsuru and Akihiko in order to aide their teammates.

"What can you reveal to me, Lucia?" Fuuka asked as she saw the archaic symbols surrounding the fallen blond, "Show me what you see."

The symbols were slowly translating themselves before her eyes as she read each one allowed, "Phoenix…It's of the Sun Arcana…Strong against Fire…Wind…and Light…It knows Agilao…Maragi…Magaru…Dia…Hama...and Recarm…It's weaknesses…are Ice…and…Electricity."

"That is all I can see." Lucia said as her voice echoed in Fuuka's mind, "His skills are quite appropriate for having a bird that reincarnates itself into a new form."

"Thank you." Fuuka said with a soft smile on her face before looking towards the others, "Naruto's weak to Ice and Electricity!"

"Gah!" Junpei said as he suddenly clutched his head, "Easy with the shouting!"

"S-sorry!" Fuuka said as she realized that her voice have entered the minds of the Rookies, "A-anyway, you also must watch as Phoenix possessing healing skills and attacks that targets multiple enemies!"

"Right!" Kotone said as she suddenly felt herself slowing down, "Battle Concerto must be wearing off!"

"I can feel it too…" Yukari added as her arms began to tingle, "My arms are starting to lose feeling."

"Shit!" Junpei said as he just barely avoided an attack from Mitsuru until he noticed Naruto getting up onto his feet, "We need something and fast; Naruto's back on his feet!"

"Kotone!" Minato called out as he drew his Evoker out after dodging a few attacks from Akihiko, "Let's try one of the new combos!"

"Right!" Kotone said as she pulled out her own Evoker while seeing that all three of their founders had summoned their Personas at the same time, "Jack Frost!"

*BANG! shatter!*

"Pyro Jack!"

*BANG! shatter!*

"Jack Brothers!" Minato and Kotone cried out at the same time as a fairy in the form of a little snowman and a fairy with a Jack-o-lantern for a head appeared…each with a microphone in their hands and a spotlight on them.

"Hey Bro-hoo!" said the snow fairy as his smile never left his face.

"What's up?" said the pumpkin-headed fairy.

"I just got a new-hee dog yesterday!"

"What's its name-ho?"

"HACHIKO!"

"Bless you."

Everyone stared at the two fairies after their poor attempt at a joke with deadpanned looks until Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Naruto face faulted with their respective Personas following suit.

"What…" Yukari asked as she wasn't sure if she should be surprised that the founders had fallen due to the lame joke or just embarrassed by the lame joke done by the two fairies, "…was that?"

"Anyway…" Junpei said as the awkward tension was still in the air, "…All-Out Attack?"

Fuuka watched as Minato's team took advantage of the situation while trying to figure out just how Naruto's team fell as she said, "I don't get it…"

"Neither do I." Kichi added, even though she knew that the girl couldn't understand her, "It wasn't even THAT funny…"

When the dust had settled, the founders managed to get back on their feet and returned to their assault.

"Good job at taking advantage of that!" Naruto said as Phoenix was soon switched with Jinn.

"But you're going to have to do better than that!" Akihiko said as his Persona launched an electrical attack towards the entire team, "Mazio!"

Unable to avoid the attack, each of the Rookies felt an electrical shock run through their bodies while Yukari was knocked down from the attack.

"Yukari!" Junpei said, summoning Hermes with a quick shot of his Evoker, was about to go help his fallen teammate until he saw that Mitsuru was right in front of him.

"Penthesilea!" Mitsuru said as she had her Evoker out and aimed at her head, "Marin Karin!"

*BANG! shatter!*

As the shot rang out, Penthesilea soon appeared and seductively walked towards Hermes.

"Why fight for them…" Penthesilea asked as she seductively caressed Hermes's face, "…when you can fight for my affection?"

A bright blush appeared on not only Hermes's face, but Junpei's as well before said duo turned towards their teammates…ready to fight THEM!

"J-Junpei!" Kotone said as she barely dodged an unexpected attack from her own teammate, "What's wrong with you!? We're on the same team!"

"Be careful!" Fuuka called out as a new archaic symbol had translated itself before her, "Junpei-kun's been charmed; He's not thinking straight!"

Minato quickly shielded Kotone from a fire attack that Hermes had launched as he then said, "Snap out of it, Junpei! Think of what you're doing!"

"Oh I know what I'm doing…" Junpei said with a dreamy look on his face, "I'm fighting…for MY QUEEN!"

The teen then jumped towards the fallen Yukari and was about to slash at her, but missed as the girl in pink rolled away just in time for paint to be splattered where she was just momentarily.

"What the hell, Stupei!?" Yukari growled out as she pointed towards the founders, "Aim THAT way; aim for THEM, not us!"

"You need to snap Junpei out of his charmed state if you want him to listen!" Naruto said as he rushed towards Minato with Jinn getting an ice attack ready, "Allies who are charmed will help their enemies by either attacking you or healing them instead of the other way around!"

Seeing Jinn launching his attack, Minato jumped away in time for the large icicle to miss him…only to realize that he had just jumped into another icicle that he hadn't seen.

"Gah!" Minato cried out as he was now covered in ice and on the ground, becoming a frozen statue.

"Minato!" Yukari said as she managed to get on her feet just in time to dodge an attack from Mitsuru, "Io! Media!"

A shot echoed through the sky as Io soon appeared with her palms shining. After Io had let out a small light from her hands, both Yukari and Kotone saw that they had regained some of their strength…but they were still outnumbered four to two.

"Gonna have to do this one on my own!" Kotone said with a serious tone as she pointed her Evoker to her head, "Angel! Archangel! Justice!"

*BANG! shatter!*

The shot echoed through the night as a winged woman with blond hair and had only black belts covering only small portions of her body appeared while a winged man wearing armor and wielding a sword appeared at the woman's side.

"What the-!" Akihiko said in absolute shock while Naruto and Mitsuru both were in a defensive position, "She can use more than one at the same time!?"

"Thou shall face the judgement of our King's light!" both of Kotone's Persona said as a blinding light soon covered the three founders of SEES.

The light soon flashed before fading to reveal both Akihiko and Mitsuru kneeling on the ground and both were heavily winded.

"Damn…" Akihiko muttered as he struggled to keep himself steady on his knee, "Who knew that Kotone could be that powerful!"

"I know…" Mitsuru said as she was using her weapon for support, "Perhaps Arisato and Namikaze are just as powerful."

The sound of struggling soon alerted everyone to a scene that had deeply disturbed them.

"Wha…What happened?" Junpei said as his head had cleared itself before looking where everyone had their attention, "What's goooiiinnn-HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!"

Everyone looked to find Naruto with his arms and legs spread out and bound by Angel's belts while Archangel slowly approached him…sword gleaming in a dark manner.

"Time to end thy life…" Archangel said with a stern look on his face as he kept his focus on the bound blond before him, "…demon."

What's going to happen now? and should he make it out alive, what will Naruto think of Melody's offer? Don't forget to rate and review!

Ja ne.