Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or Senran Kagura!

Hello, hello everybody! Today I am proud to announce my new story: Persona Kagura: The Fallen Messiah! I first announced this story in the the opening comments of Chapter 8 of Monsters and Devils. Now I know what some of you might be thinking, "Godzilla Boy, what made you decide to do this kind of crossover?" Well, to be honest, it just suddenly popped into my head one night when found myself watching an episode of the Senran Kagura anime and then not long after that I was reading another crossover involving Persona 3 and then it suddenly just came to me. I also became inspired after reading The Crimson Lords' story, A Demon Among Devils.

To be completely honest with you all, Persona 3 is probably my favorite game in the Persona Series. I know that Persona 4 and 5 are also really good and I also like them, but for some reason, there's something about Persona 3 that has always made it different from the other games in the series. Plus, I'm a huge Minato Arisato fan, he's by far my favorite silent protagonist in the series. I made this story for all you Persona and Senran Kagura fans who read my other two stories and many more who probably enjoy reading random crossovers like this and I hope you all come to enjoy it. Now, for this story, I will be adding a few scenes from the Persona 3 Movie quadrilogy that you might be able to catch if you have seen the movies, but if you haven't seen them, I recommend that you totally should!

This story will once again follow Minato Arisato as he finds himself involved in a conflict he never thought he would be a part of and more as he fights alongside the shinobi of Hanzo Acadamy.

Remember, please leave a review and constructive criticism behind if you spot any problems with the chapter and I will try to go back and fix them if I can.

Now, without further delay, let us begin!

(Play Burn My Dread -Spring of Birth ver.- as the opening theme)

"Memento Mori. Remember you will die. Remember your death."

-Persona 3 intro

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

He was not sure how it had all happened. One moment, he was protecting the Great Seal, sealed in stone with his mind drifting in the vast void of nothingness. Then the next thing he knew he was here, in Asakusa, Tokyo. Alive, breathing, and really confused.

At first, he had assumed that Elizabeth must have had something to do with it, that she had finally found a way for him to live once again. However, when he tried to search for her, he could find no trace of her; the location of the Velvet Room had seemed to refuse to disclose its location to him. He searched for the others, but like Elizabeth, they also vanished, as if they had never even existed. Not even the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru's congealment, existed, and that had troubled him the most. People could disappear, but not a multi-billion dollar company that spanned to nearly every country.

The ugly truth had come to him eventually. He steadily came to realize and accept the fact that the world that had known, the world that had given his life to protect, no longer existed. No one could easily forget the Dark Hour, the never-ending levels of Tartarus that he had climbed, the many faces of Nyx as he ascended to battle her. He sometimes wondered if it was all just a long, elaborate dream at first, that he would wake up and he would be back in the Great Seal.

But that idea shattered when he heard them, the voices of those who represented the bonds that he had forged with those back in his world.

They were the only proof that he had. They were the only evidence that reminded him of who he was, what he had been, and he clung to them as tightly as he could.

Still, life had to go on. He eventually decided to settle in this world that he had been brought to, believing that there must have been some sort of task that he was meant to accomplish before he could go back, or maybe even a test of some sorts set up by fate. After staying for almost two months with no results, he eventually resorted to working odd jobs to support himself and eventually earned enough to rent a small apartment. But now with his basic needs met, all that was left now was boredom. He needed something to keep his mind off of the past, or else he may whined up falling into depression.

He eventually solved that problem by attending a local high school, a place called Hanzō National Academy. Despite the fact that the material presented to him was almost word-for-word similar to what he had been taught in Gekkoukan High, he still enjoyed the distraction. Attending this school brought a sense of normalcy with the familiar chatter of students and the buzz of everyday activities.

Yet with all of these distractions, he would still found himself thinking of his friends in SEES every now and then. Thinking back to everything they had been through, all of the battles against Shadows and exploring Tartarus as well as tackling personal problems, he began to feel a sense of loneliness.

The only company he could ever find was in the voices from within his subconscious, and the only place to go to relax being the school library, with his headphones on and a book in front of him, listening to the same track as the sun went down.

Asuka was finally on her way home.

After being sent away from Hanzō to complete a special test, she quickly hopped on the next ferry boat back to Asakusa, but not before paying her grandfather a quick visit. She had been gone for a few months now, and she was eager to get back home to tell her friends about how her test went. As she looked out at the late morning sun and rippling waves from the bow of the ship with a bright smile, she began to noticed building around the side of the canal.

Asuka's smile got wider as rushed to the the other side of the ships bow, staring up at the towering skyscrapers and buildings. "Asakusa! I'm finally back! This really is a blast from the past! Ah, this beautiful scenery!"

"Beautiful, huh?"

Asuka turned towards the source of the new voice and saw another girl approaching her. She had tan skin and dark brown hair similar to Asuka, only in was long and tied in a pony tail and her eyes were green in color. She was dressed in a black sailor fuka with red trim and loose white socks.

"Are you from Asakusa?" she asked, making Asuka blink with slight confusion. "You said you were finally back."

Asuka realized what she meant and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, you were listening in?"

"More like I had no choice in the matter." she replied in a friendly, playful manner.

Asuka jumped up nervously upon realizing that she had indeed heard her and decided to explain. "I'm going to school in Asakusa and I live in a dorm, but I had to leave for a while because stuff happened, and coming back here brought back memories, so I accidentally blurted out loud." She then bowed her head in apology. "I-I'm sorry about that!"

The girl on the other hand, gave a short laugh before turning around and walking back to the way she came. "You're an interesting one." she said while giving a short wave goodbye.

Asuka looked up as she watched the girl walk away, slightly tilting her head in confusion. "What school's she from?"

Minato was not in a particularly chipper mood this morning, though to be frank, he rarely ever was.

After working two night shifts in a row the last two day, he barely got any sleep last night and almost overslept. After eating a quick breakfast, he gathered his supplies into his book bag and started down his usual route to Hanzō Academy.

It had been over a month since he enrolled in the school now, and nearly three since he first showed up to this new world. Despite how unfamiliar he had been with the layout when he first arrived, he began to feel a sense of tranquility in the cities' peace. It was slowly yet steadily beginning to grow on him. Without having to constantly worry about exploring the Dark Hour or hunting down the Arcana Shadows every full moon, he was beginning to appreciate the city life once again since his year-long stay in Iwatodai before.

Even so, Minato missed the city where he met his friends and even missed all of the fun adventures that they had climbing the endless floors of Tartarus. Before moving there, he had been a much different person. Cold, distant, quiet, and also quite apathetic. However, after meeting the people who would become his friends and fellow SEES members, he felt a change grow in him. He was never bored when they were around and he eventually began to open up more to them little by little.

He almost went back to his cold, distant self after Ikutski betrayed them and attempted to use SEES as sacrifices to Nyx, and also after his close friend, Ryoji, revealed himself as the Appriser of Nyx and the harbinger of the Fall. After that incident, the others almost became like him as well when the thought of their lives coming to an end made them go nearly apathetic and it was only with Elizabeth's help that he was eventually able to obtain the Answer to Life and steer them back onto the right path.

Yes, he missed his friends dearly. He wondered if they were still living their lives as best as they could over in their world as they had promised to him.

His thoughts were then shattered when he felt someone bump into his back, making him stumble forward slightly and snapping him awake. Minato managed to catch himself before he could fall on his face, but he then heard a soft "Kyaa!" and turned to find a girl lying the ground rubbing her back.

She had short brown hair that was tied in a pony tail with white ribbon and matching brown eyes. She was dressed in the traditional Hanzō Academy girls uniform, which was a simple white button-up shirt with a light blue skirt, though she also a red scarf wrapped around her neck.

It seemed that she had probably accidentally bumped into him and had also fallen in the process. Walking towards the girl, Minato knelt down and offered his hand.

"You need help?"

The girl looked up at him and he could almost immediately see the slight blush on her face as she simply stared into his eyes, as if she were lost in them.

It was slightly creeping him out.

"...Are you okay?" he asked.

She seemed to finally snap out of her trance after he had said that and took his hand, though she still seemed to blush upon contact. "Th-thank you. I-I'm sorry for almost tripping you! I was just so excited to be back here that I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine." Minato then looked down at her uniform. "Are you also a student at Hanzō? I don't think I've seen you before."

The girl scratched the back of her head while smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I was away for a while and I just got back, so it felt really nostalgic being home. Are you a new student as well?"

He simply nodded in response. The girls eyes then widened for a brief moment. "Oh, what am I doing?! I never introduced myself. My names Asuka. I'm a second-year at Hanzō Academy. What about you?"

"Minato Arisato." he replied. "Also a second-year."

The girl, Asuka, smiled. "Minato-kun, huh? Well, it's really nice to meet you. I'll see you around!" With that, Asuka sprinted down the road towards the school as Minato watched her leave.

What a strange girl.

Asuka just barely made it on time. After managing to dodge some boys at the school entrance and sneaking into the old school building located just on the edge of campus, she looked around to make sure that no one was watching before sneaking through the hidden door in the wall, where she then found herself in the schools' shinobi hideout.

A shinobi, that's what Asuka really was. In ancient times, shinobi were agents who served under the Feudal Lords of Japan. Back then, they worked as professional spies, saboteurs, and assassins. However, after the influx of western culture that resulted in the collapse of the feudal system, they eventually faded from the public consciousness.

Despite this, shinobi still exist even in the modern times, with their employers mostly being politicians and corporations. However, Asuka was still under training to become a first-rank shinobi just like her grandfather Hanzō, who her school just so happened to be named after. Very few are aware that a select few students in their school were secretly shinobi, and they made sure that it would remain a secret.

Upon entering the hideout, Asuka noticed another girl around her age with long black hair calming drinking tea at a nearby table. The girl looked up and immediately noticed her. "Welcome back."

Asuka smiled and bowed her head. "Ikaruga-san, Asuka reporting for duty!"

"I would commend you on shaking off those boys..." the girl, Ikaruga, began.

Asuka looked up at Ikaruga with slight surprise. "You saw that?"

"But they shouldn't have noticed you in the first place." she finished with a slight look of disapproval. "I can't believe you ran here straight from the school gate."

Yep, classic Ikaruga. Good to know that she was still as strict as ever. Asuka wasn't sure if she should see that as a good thing or a bad thing.

"I've been gone for while, so I got carried away." she defended while sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

After taking another sip of her tea, Ikaruga turned back to her with a serious look. "Remember that we're not normal students. You lack even the basics."

Asuka gave a despondent sigh. "Sorry..."

"Why so down? It's not like you, Asuka."

The brown haired girl gave a slight shriek when felt a pair of hands reach around from behind her and grope her... ahem, "assets".

"Katsu-nee!" Asuka exclaimed, recognizing who the voice belonged to. Once she was able to release herself from the hands, she turned around to see another girl with long blond hair held by a blue ribbon and bright green eyes. "Jeez! Once I let my guard down, you're all over me!"

"Why shouldn't I? It's not like your breasts will shrink." Katsuragi gave off a lecherous grin while flexing her fingers, as if preparing to grope her again. "Or maybe they'll get bigger from it!"

Asuka raised an arm to cover her bust. "No! I want them smaller, not bigger!"

"Really?" Katsuragi tilted her head to the side. "That'd be such a waste."

"No it wouldn't!" Asuka retorted.

Suddenly, a scream followed by a crash caused both girls to quickly turn to the entrance from where Asuka had entered just earlier. A girl with short, bright pink hair with three black ribbons that tied it into twin-tails and light blue eyes with strange pink, flower-shaped pupils was lying on the ground with strewn pieces of candy and other treats on the ground around her. There was even a spilled plastic cup on her head that slightly drenched her hair.

"Ow! That hurt!" she whined as she removed the cup from her hair and started dusting herself off.

Katsuragi sighed as she watched the new girl get on her knees to wipe herself off. "You're already spacing out this early, Hibari?"

Hibari just smiled up at her, almost forgetting about the pain she was in. "I thought school started already, so I came here in a hurry, but I got carried away by my own speed." She then noticed Asuka and her smile brightened. "Hey, Asuka-chan, welcome back!"

Asuka smiled back. "I'm back, Hibari-chan!"

"You passed the promotion exam, right?" Hibari asked as she stood up. When Asuka nodded in response, she clapped her hands together happily. "That's great to hear!"

"Thanks!" Asuka beamed.

"Hibari," a new voice began, "before you congratulate others, you should first make some progress yourself."

The trio turned to see yet another girl sitting against the wall while gazing out of a window. She had long white hair that was tied into long twin-tails and went down to below her waist, brownish red eyes, and had a brown leather eye patch that covered her right eye. She even had what looked like a squid tentacle sticking out of her mouth.

Hibari smiled at the new girl, not looking surprise in the slightest by her sudden appearance. "That's all right. I didn't pull it off myself, but I'm still happy about it!"

Unlike Hibari, Asuka looked towards the white-haired girl with surprise. "Yagyū-chan, when did you get here?"

Yagyū turned towards her. "Concealing one's presence is a basic shinobi skill."

"Right..." Asuka laughed with another sheepish smile.

Katsuragi sighed as she smiled playfully. "Jeez, I can't tell which one's the upperclassman here."

Asuka smiled back at her. "Yagyū-chan has a higher rank despite being a freshman, though."

"She's a genius, after all!" Hibari beamed.

Suddenly, a burst of smoke enveloped the room, making the girls cover they faces and cough as it hit them. Once the smoke cleared, they saw a older gentleman standing before them with wavy gray hair and auburn colored eyes.

The man smiled as he adjusted his black suit and eyed the girls in front of him. "Everyone's here, correct?"

Ikaruga got up from her seat and stood with the other girls as they bowed their heads to him in greeting. "Kiriya-sensei, good morning."

Kiriya turned his attention to a certain brown haired girl. "Asuka."

"Y-yes, sir!" she said as she stood up straighter.

Her teacher gave her a soft smile. "Good work."

Asuka gave a bashful smile in response. "Oh, t-thank you for the praise."

Kiriya then pulled out a folder and opened before skimming through its contents. "Let's see... Used Molting Cicada seconds before the scroll was taken. Damaged her shinobi costume in the process. Used smoke bombs in an urban area. Had almost no time left."

Each time Kiriya spoke, Asuka felt her spirits slowly begin to dwindle as she stared give her teacher an increasingly growing deponent look. Kiriya's expression then slightly brightened at one particular detail.

"Ho, now this is impressive." he said, making Asuka snap from her stupor. "Your score perfectly matches the passing mark. That's not something one can do on purpose."

"Don't get excited about silly things!" Asuka pouted.

Kiriya simply smiled as he closed the folder. "Well, you passed, and that's what counts. Continue to train hard."

Asuka smiled back and nodded. "Of course!"

"We'll spend today's first period practicing hand-to-hand combat." Kiriya explained. "Everyone get changed and gather in the training hall."

With that, Kiriya disappeared within another puff of smoke, causing the girls minus Yagyū and Ikaruga to start coughing again when the smoke hit their faces.

Meanwhile, on the main campus, Minato was doing everything in his power to soldier through his classes without snoozing off. He would feel his eyelids get heavy and he would doze off now and then, but was able to make it through most of his classes without collapsing on his desk. Thankfully, the lunch period was drawing closer, so he would have the time to rest and relax from his exhaustion.

Right now, he was in the middle of history class, but it was interesting to say the least. Like most of his other teachers, Mr. Nakajima seemed to go out on tangents when lecturing and tending to ask multiple choice questions to random students about what they just talked about or even things completely unrelated to their own subjects. Mr. Nakajima however, seemed to stick closely to his own subject more than the other teachers though.

"Lets see... who to pick... how about you, Takahashi?" Mr. Nakajima asked as he pointed to Eito Takahashi, the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy seated in front of Minato. "Which period in history did Japanese adopt the name, 'Semgoku' from? The Hundred Years War, The Warring States Period, or the Black Death?"

"Umm... I think it was..." Eito began, but it seemed that he was unsure of the answer.

"Warring States." Minato whispered from behind his book.

"The Warring States?"

Nakajima smiled and nodded before returning his attention to the white board. "Correct! Now the Sengoku period is well known as the period before Japan was unified under the Tokugawa shogunate. Besides Daimyo Tokugawa Ieyasu, there were two other Daimyo vying for power and control during that time, Oda Nobunage and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Frankly, it reminds me a lot of the Three Kingdoms era of China, but we'll leave that for another time..."

"Thank you." Eito whispered as he turned his head around before turning his attention back to the white board."

"Any time."

When the lunch bell rang, almost all of the students got up and gathered their things before making their way out of the room to the cafeteria. Minato was in the middle of gathering his own things when two students, a male and a female, approached him.

"Hey, thanks for the save earlier Arisato." Eito said with a smile. "Had I gotten that question wrong, I would have been humiliated."

"That's because you're always busy spending time at the arcade after school when you could be using that time to study." the female student lightly chided.

Eito turned and glared at the girl. "Well excuse me for not being as smart as you, Kazuyo."

The female student, Kazuyo Agaki, a bespectacled girl with black hair cut into a short bob cut and bright green eyes, simply ignored him and turned to Minato. "Still though, Mr. Nakajima and his samurai, huh? I'm just amazed that he hasn't started walking around with an old-fashioned helmet on his head. Can you just imagine someone, much less a teacher, doing that?"

"I can." Eito said while looking like he was trying to keep himself from laughing. "And it cracks me up thinking about it."

"So, Arisato-kun, are you doing anything after school today?" Kazuyo asked.

Minato shook his head. "Not really."

Kazuyo smiled. "Then you should come over to my place and study. We still have that test coming up next week."

"Oh, come on, give the guy a break!" Eito cut in. "We still have a week before the test. Lets just kick back and relax a little before cramming your head with stuff." He then broke out into a mischievous smile. "Besides, it's obvious you just want to have him over for more than just 'studying',"

The girl's face instantly blushed as she gave Eito a look of shock. "W-w-what are you talking about?! I would never do something so indecent!"

"Funny." Eito replied with a smirk. "I never implied that you were going to do anything 'indecent' to him."

By now, Kazuyo's face was as red as a tomato. "S-s-shut up, y-you jerk!"

Minato slightly shook his head with mirth before he began to continue to put his books away into his bag. Suddenly, he grunted when he felt a sudden migraine rush through his skull, forcing him to put one hand on the side of his head.

Minato hissed as he tried to stand from his seat, only to stumble slightly and force his free hand onto his desk to balance himself. Eito and Kazuyo ceased their argument and turned to the blue-haired with concern.

"Whoa, are you alright, Arisato?" Eito asked.

"Just... a little dizzy." he replied while holding his head.

"You should go see the nurse." Kazuyo suggested. "Then maybe head home if it's that bad."

Minato simply nodded as he stared towards the door, though Eito and Kazuyo helped him by carrying him by under his arms to help him down the hall towards the nurses office.

After nearly a half hour of training, the five girls were feeling quite exhausted and were currently sitting around the living area of their secret base.

Katsuragi laughed as she finished chugging down her cup of iced tea. "I ruled that fight!"

"I wouldn't have lost if we'd used swords." Ikaruga said as she looked away.

The blond gave her a grin. "Look at the loser making excuses."

Ikaruga's eyes widened as she turned to her with a defensive look. "I-I'm not!" Her response only served to make Katsuragi laugh again.

She then stretched her arm to get the kinks out. "Anyway, what should we have for lunch today?"

"I'm getting sick of ordering out." Ikaruga commented.

"Attention!" The girls turned to see Asuka with her bento box on her lap. "I brought these from back my trip!"

When she opened her bento box, the other girls were pleasantly surprised. "Whoa, rolls!" Hibari exclaimed happily.

"They look delicious!" Katsuragi beamed with excitement.

Ikaruga smiled. "And now I know what's for lunch."

The other girls kindly took each futomaki roll that Asuka offered them and happily bit into them while humming happily. After finishing taking a bite, Ikaruga turned to the brunette. "Asuka, where'd you get these?"

Asuka smiled as she sat beside Hibari and Katsuragi. "You see, I spent the night at home yesterday."

"Oh right, your family runs a sushi restaurant."

"Yep!" Asuka nodded as she took another bite of her role, only for Katsuragi to sneak up behind her and once again reach her hands up under her shirt and grope her breasts once again.

"All right! I'll rub these a lot as thanks for the food!"

Asuka's cries of protest were muffled by the roll she still had in her mouth, but thankfully help came when Kiriya appeared in yet another burst of smoke that filled the room. Kiriya looked down and noticed the food that his students were eating.

"Oh, rolls." he said in a low voice with an intense look in his eyes.

"Yeah! *cough cough* Have one, Kiriya-sensei." Asuka offered while holding her bento box out to him.

"Thank you." Kiriya smiled as he accepted her offer and took a roll from her box. After taking a bite of his roll, he sat down with the girls. "So, is Hanzō-sama well?"

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, thanks to you. My Grandpa actually woke up extra early to make these rolls!"

Kiriya smiled. "I see. He hasn't changed a bit." Then, his expression quickly changed to be serious. "Now that Asuka's back, you'll complete a mission outside school premise this afternoon."

"Outside school premise?" Asuka questioned with slight confusion.

"Yeah! Finally, a real mission!" Katsuragi exclaimed while pumping her fist with excitement before standing up. "All we've been doing lately is flying, jumping, and meditating. Just boring training sessions in a stuffy basement. So, Teach, what's the mission?!"

"Wiping out the ruffians in the shopping district."

Almost immediately, Katsuragi's expression dropped like a stone.

"Delinquent students have made it their hangout, and the authorities apparently can't handle them." Kiriya explained.

"Taking out delinquents..." Asuka repeatec as she and Kasturagi exchanged glances.

Hibari fidgeted in place with a nervous expression. "I'm afraid of troublemakers."

"Don't worry." Yagyū said from her spot near the wall. "I'll protect you."

The pinkette smiled in response and nodded. "Thanks!"

Minato's eyes slowly opened and the first thing that he realized was that he was no longer at school, but instead was seated in a place that resembled an elevator that seemed to ascend forever. There was also a dial located at the top of a large gate that continued to spin almost endlessly.

The last thing he noticed was that the inside of the elevator was very, very blue.

His eyes slowly widened when he felt old memories begin to surface as he observed the room. He remembered it.

"This is..."

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Minato turned his gaze towards the gate and saw an elderly-looking man with white hair and dressed in a black suit with white gloves sitting on a couch located behind a round table that stood between himself and the boy. He had a rather bizarre appearance, with a very long pointed nose, bulging bloodshot eyes, and pointed ears.

He also noticed two female figures standing on either side of the elderly man, both holding a large tomb under their arm. The one standing to the man's left had short white hair that was styled in a bob cut, yellow eyes, and wore a blue dress that resembled a stewardess' outfit. The dress was complete with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black legging and blue, knee-length boots.

The second woman to his right seemed slightly older and more mature than the other girl. She had platinum-blonde hair, pale skin, and yellow eyes just like the other woman. She wore an entirely dark blue dress with black and gold accessories and matching high heel shoes. Minato turned his attention back towards the elderly man on the couch, feeling a strange sense of comfort at seeing a familiar face.

"Igor." he said in a low tone.

The old man, Igor, flashed his traditional grin. "Ah, it is so nice to see you again, young man. To think that only three years have past since we last spoke to each other like this. My, how fast time can pass."

"I don't understand." Minato said. "How are you here? I thought this was supposed to be a different world than mine."

"This is a room that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor replied. "It matters not if one travels through space and time itself, so long as there is consciousness and unconsciousness, the Velvet Room will always exist."

Minato though still had more questions that he needed to ask. "But I tried to search for this place when I first got here. No matter where I looked though, I couldn't find the entrance."

Igor continued to grin. "Because you have just recently opened a new contract."

The boy could only blink at the man with confusion. "...I what?"

"It would seem that although our last contract was fulfilled, you have now been bound to a new one in this new world. It is a sign that you will embark on a journey unlike your last one." Igor explained.

"Are you saying that I'll be faced with something different from Shadows or the Dark Hour?"

Igor nodded. "Correct. In this world, a much different power rules over it, though it seems that it is one that only a select few are even aware of. You will find that the challenges you will be presented with will be much different."

"How so?" Minato asked. He was hoping that if he knew sooner, the better prepared he would be to face whatever Igor was talking about.

Unfortunately, the old man shook his head. "Unfortunately, I cannot predict what exactly you will face or when it will take place, only that it will happen very soon."

Then, Igor seemed to remember something. "Ah, yes! I seem to have neglected to introduce you to my assistants." He gestured to the short-haired girl to his right. "I believe that you already remember Elizabeth from your last time spent here, correct."

Minato smiled and nodded. "Of course I do."

"It is good to see you alive and well again, Minato-san." Elizabeth smiled back. "I trust your new life is treating you well?"

"So far."

He then turned his attention to the other woman who Igor gestured to. "And this here is Margaret, my other assistant. She will be here to assist you as well."

The woman dipped her head in greeting. "It is a please to meet you, Minato Arisato. My name is Margaret, Elizabeth's older sister. I wish to thank you for looking after her."

Minato stared at her with slight surprise. "Older sister?" He then turned back towards Elizabeth. "When were you ever going to tell me that you had an older sister?"

"Well..." Elizabeth began. "I'll tell you about it later."

'She completely dodged the question.' he thought as he felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his head.

Then, a new question suddenly came to his mind, one that he felt was very important. "Wait, Igor. If I am in a new world, then what about the Great Seal? Is it in danger?"

If he was no longer connected to the Great Seal, then the chances of that monster returning to destroy it were incredibly high at this rate.

Igor rested his chin on he back of his right hand. "Hmm, I have already looked into that, and I can gladly report that the Great Seal is perfectly fine."

What? How was that possible? How could the Great Seal still be standing if he was no longer physically connected to it? "How is that even possible?"

"I cannot fully explain it myself, but it would appear that a small piece of your very life essence has somehow found a way to separate itself from the Great Seal and somehow found its way into the world that you are currently residing in." Igor explained. "As for the reason why, even I cannot explain."

"So... It's like a piece of me is separate while the rest of me is still in the Seal?" Minato guessed.

Igor nodded. "Correct. Though if something catastrophic were to befall you that could threaten your very life, then that bond will be severed and the Great Seal will become vulnerable."

That revelation surprised Minato. "Then what your saying is if I were to possibly die here, then the me in the Great Seal will also be destroyed?"

"Indeed." Igor replied.

It was a shocking discovery to say the least. How was even possible for a piece of his soul to separate from the Great Seal in the first place? And on top of that, for what reason? Was there even a way for him to get back, or would he have to stay here for the rest of his life in this world? And what's worse, what about his friends?

For all he knew, they had probably moved on with their lives by now, but there was no doubt they were still keeping to their promise to make everyone stop wishing for The Fall. But if they were to succeed, then what would happen to him? Would he still get to see them again or would he still be stuck here even if Erebus was destroyed for good?

Even with all of these questions, at least Minato knew that as long as he was still alive, then the Great Seal would continue to stand. He would just have to remember to be careful from now on until he could find a way to get back. And possibly even see his friends again.

Then a new question came to Minato. "Igor, there's something else I've been meaning to ask. It's about my, you know..."

"Your Persona's are still with you. Although without a way to summon them, you will be unable to use them in battle." Igor replied before he began scratching his chin while starring at Minato. "Hmm... This is interesting..."

"What is it?"

"Before your previous contract was fulfilled, you were only able to access up to 12 Persona's." he replied. "However, now I can sense up to well over a hundred. In fact, It seems that you now possess every Persona that you have had access to throughout your previous journey."

Margaret starred at Minato with surprise. "How is that even possible? Our last guest couldn't achieve such a feat even after he completed his journey."

Elizabeth scratched her chin in thought before a realization came to her. "It must have something to do with you gaining the Universe Arcana. From what we know so far, it is one of the most powerful Arcana's we have ever seen, even more so than the World Arcana. The Universe grants those who wield it the power to break the boundaries between the possible and the impossible, which we have already seen with the sealing of Nyx."

Igor kept his gaze fixed on Minato. "I can indeed sense the power of the Universe within you, but only a small portion of it."

"It's possible that the reason for that is because of the Great Seal itself." Margaret deduced as she turned to Minato. "You used the Universe Arcana to seal away Nyx, meaning that while you still carry a small amount of the power of the Universe, the rest of it still remains within the Great Seal. It's possible that the Universe is what is keeping you connected to the Seal."

"Then it would seem that there is no reason to worry at the moment." Igor said. "But know that we looked into finding any means of returning you to the Seal as you travel on your current journey."

Minato nodded in response, a grateful smile on his face. "Of course. Thank You."

"Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. Time marches on in your world. You should return to your time." Igor stated.

"We look forward to your next visit." Margaret said.

Elizabeth smiled. "Take care of yourself, Minato-san."

Igor gave his own smile and nodded. "Until we meet again, farewell."

Minato's eyes slowly fluttered open and he found that he was lying down on one of the many comfortable beds located in the nurses office. Looking around, he noticed that Eito and Kazuyo weren't there. He then looked up at the nearest wall clock and realized that it was already 1 o'clock. Lunch had already ended and classes were resuming. No doubt his two classmates were back in class right now.

Sitting up on the bed, Minato gave a soft grunt as he stretched his arms out. It was at that moment that the nurse walked into the room with a clipboard in her hands. "Ah, Arisato-kun. I see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Tired." he replied as he got up off the bed, only to feel his head slightly swim. "And a little dizzy."

"Hmm, yes, I can see why." the nurse said while observing Minato put a hand on the side of his head. "Your two friends brought you here a little over an hour ago and you had a very high fever, so I had you rest here. Your friends stayed with you for most of your rest, but had to leave before classes started again."

Minato nodded in understanding. He was grateful that Eito and Kazuyo wanted to look out for him, but he wished that they would stop worrying over him like he was a defenseless grade-school student. He could handle himself just fine.

"I would suggest that perhaps you head home and rest for the day, Arisato-kun." the nurse suggested while placing the back of her hand on his forehead. "It looks like your fever is still pretty high. I'll let Mr. Nakajima know of your early leave."

The blue-haired boy simply nodded as he grabbed his book bag off a nearby table and walked out the door. But as he walked down the empty halls, he could only think about the information Igor gave him.

Just what sort of challenges was he going to be forced to go up against?

As Asuka and the others walked down the busy streets of the Asauksa shopping district, Katsuragi sighed. "Guarding a VIP without being seen or an infiltration mission to acquire secret information was what I had in mind."

"Missions paramount to national security are reserved for those who've already graduated school and became real shinobi." Ikaruga reminded her.

"But fighting delinquents is just lame!" Katsuragi complained in response.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, though." Asuka said while looking to be in deep thought. "We need to get rid of them in secret. And they're just normal people too."

Ikaruga nodded. "That's why it's a training mission."

Katsuragi gave a sigh of resignation. "Well, fine."

"So where are they hiding?" Hibari asked.

Soon, Ikaruga stopped and fixed her gaze to the ground with a look that suggested she was in deep thought. "Walking around at random is a waste of time. Let's split up and look for targets."

And so, the others decided to split off and search different areas of the shopping district. Ikaruga chose to search the market, Katsuragi decided to investigate (or rather "play around") the nearby amusement park, Hibari and Yagyū went to check out the back alleys, and Asuka chose to look around Asakusa Temple.

As she looked around, Asuka sighed. "No sign of any one here, either."

"Huh?"

Asuka turned and was more than surprised to see a familiar tan-skinned girl standing beside her, who was looking back at her with equal surprise. "You? We met at the ferry!" Asuka said with a smile.

The girl smiled back. "And now we meet again."

After their meeting, the two girls relocated to the nearby park where the two started to chat. "I'm on a school trip." the girl said.

"Oh, so that's why you were on the boat." Asuka realized.

"I lost track of my friends while wandering around on my own." she explained. "I don't know my way around, and my school doesn't allow cell phones."

"Do you know roughly where you lost them?" Asuka asked. If this girl had lost her friends, then she was more than willing to help her.

The girl tapped her chin in thought. "Lets see... Some-thing-or-another road."

"A lot of streets in Asakusa have 'road' in their name. I doubt that clue will really help." the brunette replied, but then smiled. "Hey, I can help you look for the, if you'd like."

"Are you sure that's okay?" she asked. "You looked busy back at the temple."

Asuka simply laughed sheepishly in response. "It's no problem. We're doing a mini school trip. So, should we go?"

"Sure. Thank you." The girl gave a grateful smile. When Asuka turned her back to start walking down a path, the other girl turned around and snapped her fingers.

Up on the roof of the temple, another woman wearing a similar black and red outfit stood up and gave a smirk.

"Hey, Yagyū-chan..." Hibari started as she and Yagyū walked down a vacant street in search for the delinquents. "Why are you coming with me?"

Yagyū kept her gaze forward, holding her signature oilpaper umbrella over her shoulder. "I'd worry if you were on your own."

Hibari puffed her cheeks as she pouted. "I can handle delinquents by myself, you know?"

"They might jump out at you out of nowhere." Yagyū said as she glanced at her.

The pinkette slightly jumped at that, but tried to put on a brave face. "I-if that happens, then I'll beat them har-"

"Hold it!"

Both girls stopped and saw another woman with a rather masculine face and carrying a wooden shinai. Hibari quickly hid behind Yagyū when she noticed that there were about a dozen men carrying weapons ranging from bats to metal pipes surrounding them.

One of the men observed the two girls' clothes. "Those uniforms... These chicks are from Hanzō Acadamy."

The woman, who appeared to be the leader of the group, gently smacked her practice sword against the palm of her free hand in a threatening manner. "That fricken' huge school, eh?"

"What about it?" Yagyū inquired with a solid frown.

"You gotta lend us some money, kay?" she replied while the other delinquents chuckled.

Yagyū wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Instead, she gave a small smirk. "I see. So it is you."

Another delinquent glared at her, feeling slightly insulted by her smirk. "Ya lookin' for a fight?"

"Y-you shouldn't provoke them, Yagyū-chan." Hibari stuttered with fear as she continued to hide behind her friend.

Yagyū then glanced over her shoulder, her smirk not fading. "They're here."

Hibari turned around, as well as the delinquents, and noticed Ikaruga and Katsuragi approaching them. The former had a stern frown on her face while the latter seemed to lick her lips with anticipation. Hibari squeaked with surprise when Yagyū then wrapped her arm around her waist before jumping up onto the roof of the building next to street while the thugs were distracted by the arrival of the two other girls.

"More Hanzō students?" one of the thugs inquired.

Katsuragi punched her fist into her palm with a grin. "All right, you guys ready?"

"Wh-who're these chicks?" another delinquent asked.

"We were asked to clean up the shopping district. Yes, I suppose you could call us a disciplinary committee of sorts." Ikaruga replied. She then glanced up towards the roof where Yagyū and Hibari were perched. "Yagyū-san, where's Asuka-san?"

The white-haired girl simply shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

"What's she doing?" Katsuragi inqured.

Ikaruga sighed with exasperation. "She's always like this."

Yagyū turned to the pink-haired girl beside her. "Hibari, take care of passerby's."

"Okay, leave them to me!" she replied as she took off along the roof towards the entrance of the street.

The lead thug growled as she pointed her shinai towards Ikaruga and Katsuragi. "They're bein' all high an' mighty! Get 'em!"

"YEAH!" the other thugs roared as they raised their weapons.

"We have no choice." Ikaruga said as she got into a fighting stance. "Let's go!"

"All right!" Katsuragi exclaimed as she raised her fists.

As Asuka led the other girl down a path along a river, she began to feel guilty for abandoning the mission, but she really felt that she needed to help this girl find her friends.

'Will the others be all right?' she thought with guilt.

"We couldn't find my friends anywhere we looked." the other girl said. "They must've left without me.'

Asuka simply nodded. "Yeah, they must have."

Little did the brunette know, the tan-skinned girl pulled a short sword out from behind her and smirked darkly as she brought it back, preparing to stab her. However, before she could, a pair of ducks suddenly shot out from some bushed and in front of Asuka. Startled, the girl shrieked when she lost her balanced and fell of the path and into the river.

The girl quickly concealed her weapon again and ran to the side of the river to help pull Asuka out. Once she did, the brunette's clothes and hair were completely soaked. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm am." Asuka replied before she let out a sneeze.

"Thanks for helping me." the girl said as she helped her to her feet.

"Um, we haven't so much as introduced ourselves yet." Asuka said as she fixed her uniform. "I'm Asuka!"

The girl smiled. "I'm Homura."

"Homura-chan, huh?" Asuka smiled as she turned around and started back down the path. "Well, see ya, Homura-chan! I hope you find your friends soon!"

"There's no need to worry." Homura said softly as her dark smirk returned. 'I took a risk by letting my killing intent flare up near her, but she didn't even notice. What a novice shinobi.'

Minato walked down the street near the Asakusa shopping district, heading back towards his apartment. His fever seemed to go down slightly, but his head was still hurting him a little. Perhaps he really did need to stop taking anymore night shifts at his part-time job and just start working weekends from now on.

However, as he walked down the bustling street, he continued to think about what Igor had told him earlier. He now knew that this world was in fact much different than his own and was harboring secrets of its own. But if those secrets had anything to do with the "journey" that Igor warned him about, then he would need to find a way to prepare himself for whatever challenge may come his way.

He could already picture Mitsuru praising him for planning ahead.

As Minato turned a corner to walk down another street, he suddenly found himself treated to a strange sight.

"Sorry! No entry beyond this point!"

Standing in front of the entrance of a blocked off street was was young girl around his age with bright pink hair and bright blue eyes with pink, flower-shaped pupils. She was dressed in what appeared to be a construction workers uniform and seemed to be guiding people away from the street. But why would a teenager girl be working construction? Was it for a part-time job or something?

Hibari was currently making sure that no bystanders would walk down the street while her friends took care of the delinquents. After obtaining a construction uniform and some equipment from...somewhere, she was able to set up a blockade at the entrance of the street so that no one could see what was going on. She only hoped that everything was going okay without any problems.

"Is there something going on here?" Hibari turned to see a blue-haired boy standing in front of her.

"Oh! I'm sorry, this street is currently undergoing construction right now." she replied. "We should be done in about an hour or so."

Minato nodded, but then had another question. "Are you in high school?"

"Yep! Why?"

"How come you're working in construction? Also, how come I can't hear any tools going off."

Hibari's expression suddenly dropped and she began to stutter. "O-oh! I-umm... It's for-umm..."

Minato instantly began to grow suspicious. However, before he could ask another question, the girl suddenly turned around to face the empty street, a look of shock and worry on her face.

"This aura..." she murmured.

"What?" Minato questioned.

Hibari turned back to her and started waving her hands as she began to back up. "I-I'm sorry. I-um...have to go help my friends. See you!"

With that, the pinkette took off down the vacant street, leaving Minato even more suspicious.

Katsuragi dusted her hands off as she and Ikaruga stood over the unconscious forms of the thugs. "Can't even call that a good warm up."

"I wonder what happened to Asuka-san." Ikaruga wondered as she looked around.

The blonde sighed. "Well, she must be fooling arou-"

She stopped when she noticed the delinquents suddenly begin to rise to their feet almost like zombies, a dark aura surrounding each of them. They discarded their bats and pipes and pulled out swords or shinai's instead.

Katsuragi and Ikaruga jumped back with looks of shock and surprise. "They can get back up after we beat them to a pulp?"

"These people aren't ordinary delinquents." Ikaruga added.

"Guys!" The others turned to see Hibari running towards them with her school uniform back on and looking worried.

Yagyū, who was still perched on the roof, looked surprised. "Hibari!"

"Be careful! There mindless shells!" Hibari warned.

Katsuragi turned back towards her with confusion. "Mindless shells?"

Up on the roof of another building, a girl was overlooking the street where the confrontation was taking place. She had blonde hair that was curled at the ends with a large pink bow at the top and green eyes.

"Physically slow, yet quick-witted." She focused her gaze down towards Hibari and licked her lips with a smile. "She reminds me of a small, timid animal. How adorable."

The girl snapped her fingers and all hell seemed to break loose. Almost instantly, the entire area, perhaps even the entire city, turned a dark shade of purple.

Katsuragi looked around with shock. "Don't tell me this is..."

Ikaruga's eyes widened. "A Shinobi Kekkai!"

Yagyū jumped down to join the others with her attention on the thugs. "Then these guys are also..."

"...Shinobi." the blonde finished with a nod.

"I guess we should fight them seriously then." Ikaruga said as she witnessed the dark aura surrounding the 'thugs' flare up.

Katsuragi grinned. "All right, it's transforming time!"

"It's not part of our mission, but this is unavoidable." Ikaruga's eyes narrowed as she and the others made different signs with their hands.

"Shinobi Tenshin!"

The girls' bodies then began to glow and their clothes began to change. Ikaruga's new attire consisted of a white gold-trimmed jacket with six buttons and a few golden tassels strewn across. A Hanzō Academy armband was pinned to her upper left arm, her outfit came with a short gold-trimmed skirt and white gold-trimmed boots accentuated by black tights underneath. She also wielded a katana in her hands.

Katsuragi's attire pretty much remained the same. She still wore her Hanzō Acadamy shirt, only it was unbuttoned to reveal most of of her underneath; particularly her breasts. Along with a blue plaid skirt, she wore long socks under her signature weapon: Black and gold metal boots adorned with blue tassels on either side.

Yagyū now wore a pale brown jacket over a white school skirt, a red plaid shirt, brown loafers, and calf-high black stockings. Around he shoulders was a black mantle with a triangle design along the trim and two extended tails while also brandishing her oilpaper umbrella like a weapon.

Finally, Hibari's outfit changed to a light pink track jacket with the Hanzō emblem on the left chest area, dark blue bloomers, black and white socks, and red and white sneakers.

The four got into fighting stances and prepared as the thugs all charged at once.

Minato had no idea what had just happened. Not long after that pink haired girl had took off down the vacant street, the entire area around him suddenly turned this very eerie color purple that almost hurt his eyes. Not only that, but the surrounding citizens that had been walking by seemed to just vanish into thin air.

The entire phenomenon confused Minato until a thought came to mind. Could it have been the Dark Hour? No, it couldn't have been. Igor had pretty much revealed that this world had no such thing as the Dark Hour or Tartarus. Plus, there was the fact that the people simply disappeared instead of transmogrifying into coffins, there was no bright green sky accompanied by equally eerie colored moon, and there were no Shadows wandering the streets.

If this wasn't the Dark Hour, then what was it? Could this be something completely different? Could it have something to do the 'power' that Igor said governed this world in secret?

Before he could come up with any sort of conclusion to these questions, a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Thou art I... And I am thou..."

Minato grunted when he felt his headache suddenly grow more intense as the voice spoke.

"A new journey awaits thou... Lives will be lost unless thou accept thy fate..."

The boy eventually dropped his book bag as he placed both hands on the sides of his head to try and calm the raging migraine.

"Will thou ignore thy destiny? Or will thou walk the path and face death once again to protect what is precious?"

Then, almost as quickly as it came, the headache disappeared. Minato slowly lowered his hands and brought his gaze towards the street where the pink-haired girl had run off down, hearing the sounds of what appeared to be fighting.

He now knew what he had to do.

One of the thugs raised his shinai and brought it down towards Hibari, but the girl was able to counter by ducking out of the way before grabbing the delinquent by his arm and tossing him to the ground behind her.

Hibari then turned and gasped when she saw yet another thug swing his sword towards her. She jumped back, only to bounce of the edge of the Shinobi Barrier that had been set up around them. But then, just as the same thug attempted to attack Hibari again, Yagyū jumped in front of her and opened her umbrella, completely blocking the strike and blowing the thug back in the process.

Katsuragi launched her leg at the nearest thug in a high kick, only for him to duck his head to the side and swing his shinai at her. The blonde managed to kick the weapon out of hands before kicking the thug in the chest and send him flying. Another thug tried to strike at Katsuragi while her back was turned, but Ikaruga quickly defended her by blocking the sword with her own katana.

"Damn, these guys are more coordinated than they look." Katsuragi commented as she ducked under another swing from one of the thugs' swords.

"Agreed, I wasn't expecting this fight to be this difficult." Ikaruga replied. "Just where is Asuka?"

Yagyū shook her head as she helped Hibari up off the ground. "Lets just hope that she gets here soon."

"Where are you, Asuka-chan?" Hibari asked no one in particular.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard approaching the four girls from behind. Assuming that they belonged to their fifth friend, the four turned around to face the source.

"About time, Asuka!" Katsuragi exclaimed. "Where the hell have you be-"

She stopped. It wasn't Asuka.

Instead, it was a blue-haired boy with sapphire colored eyes casually approaching them with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a neutral expression on his face. His bangs seemed to cover his right eye and he had a pair of clip-on earphones and an mp3 player hanging from his neck. Hibari's eyes widened when she realized it was the same boy that she had encountered earlier.

"What's this? Another Hanzō student?" one of the thugs inquired.

"Jeez, these Hanzō brats just keep on coming." another one complained.

Ikaruga stepped forward in front of the boy. "Please step back! Leave this to us."

Minato did not listen. Instead, he simply walked right past her like she wasn't even there, leaving her stunned.

"Oi, are you listening?!" Katsuragi shouted. "You need to get out of here right now! Do you have a death wish or something?!"

Once again, Minato didn't listen and continued to approach the thugs before stopping just a few feet away from them.

"What'd ya want, boy?" the lead thug questioned as she stepped forward. "You looking for a fight too?"

"...You have one chance."

The thugs looked slightly taken aback. "Huh?"

"I said you have one chance." Minato repeated. "One chance to give up before things get ugly."

At first, the thugs were silent, but then they all seemed to burst out laughing. "Pwahahahaha! Did he really just say that?!"

"Hahahaha! You got a death wish or something, kid?!"

"You must be joking, right?!"

The lead thug huffed as she brought up her weapon, followed by her subordinates. "I don't know what your damage is, but I hope you said your prayers before coming here, cause you're about to die!"

"The hell is he doing?!' Katsuragi hissed as she stepped forward to try and stop him.

Minato simply closed his eyes before his suddenly flashed to a scene in the Velvet Room before.

"Behold, the last power you and I shall unveil..."

Minato slowly reached his right arm out to the side, delving deep into his mind as he tried to concentrate. At that moment, he felt a familiar power begin to channel through him and gather into his open hand.

"It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end."

"What's happening?" Hibari asked as she noticed what appeared to be blue light begin to gather in his hand.

Ikaruga's eyes slowly widened at the sight. "What is he...?"

"Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you know."

Minato's eyes snapped open as the light in his hand dissipated, revealing an object held tightly in his grip that made everyone around him stare with astounded expressions.

It was a silver object in the shape of a gun, with the word 'SEES' inscribed on both sides.

"I tried to warn you. But now you leave me no choice." Minato said lowly. Then, without warning, the boy then brought the weapon to his head and pointed the tip at his right temple.

"W-what are you doing?!" Hibari screeched in fear.

"Have you gone crazy?! Kastsuragi exclaimed.

"Put that weapon down, now!" Ikaruga added.

Minato still ignored them, his focus set on the thugs before him. He felt his breathing become slightly rapid, his grip on the weapon tightening and sweat begin to roll down his face. However, his nervousness was eased by a soft, male voice that echoed through his skull.

"Go on."

The thugs decided that they were tired of waiting and all rushed towards the boy their weapons in hand in preparation to finish him off. However, they failed to notice the smirk that etched its way on his face.

"Per..."

The thugs manage to get closer, their weapons raised.

"What are you doing?! Run!" Yagyū yelled.

"-...so..."

The lead thug made it first as she prepared to bring her sword down to cleave the boys head off.

"Run now!" Ikaruga ordered.

"-...na!"

BLAM!

A loud noise akin to a gunshot rang out as Minato pulled the trigger of the weapon. However, instead of blood or brain matter shooting out, glowing blue fragments that resembled broken glass appeared from the left side of his head. As they did, a raging surge of blue and indigo flames erupted from behind the boy, funneling like a mini twister.

I am Thou, and Thou art I.

From the Sea of Thy Soul I Cometh.

A deep voice rang out through the area as a figure began to slowly manifest out of thin air. The first thing to take shape was the arm and the stubbed legs, followed by metal joints that connected the white limbs to a sky blue colored body that had a small speaker on the stomach area. After the body manifested, an object resembling a large lyre took shape on the figures back.

I am the Other You that Exists Within.

I am the Beginning of the Endless Journey You Will Travel.

Finally, a head appeared. The face was dark grey in color, its hair was white, and a red scarf-like cloth wrapped around the figures neck and a part of it even went over the top of its head like a headband. Then, the eyes opened, revealing glowing red eyes that stared down solely at the thugs below. The figure reached behind its back and pulled out the large lyre.

I am Orpheus.

Master of Strings.

After Orpheus made his presence known, the four Hanzō shinobi could only stare in shock. They had heard of shinobi summoning's before, but never something like this.

"What the hell...?" Katsuragi breathed.

Hibari stared up at the floating form of Orpheus with awe on her face. "Is this...a dream?"

Minato's expression remained completely neutral as he raised his hand out towards the thugs.

"...Orpheus."

The Persona raised his own hand before strumming his fingers along the strings of the lyre, causing an explosion of flames to consume the lead thug. However, Minato was surprised that no scream of pain came out, and her skin and clothes burned away to reveal not flesh or bone but...wood?

'Their not human...' he thought. 'Their...dolls.'

The Persona shot forward, swinging his lyre, and striking two more thugs with such force that their skin was torn away like fabric, revealing more wood underneath. Another pair of thugs rushed at Orpheus, but the Master of Strings spun and slammed his lyre into the first before strummed his fingers against the strings again, creating another explosion that engulfed the second.

While his back was turned, one of the remaining thugs jumped up onto the Persona's back, wrapping its arms around its neck while another rushed at Orpheus from the front and struck him in the chest with its shinai. Minato gave a slight grunt as he felt a slight surge of pain in his chest and reached his hand up towards where he felt it. It was the same area where Orpheus had also been struck.

"Get...off me!" Minato let out a yell, one that Orpheus seemed to respond to. The Master of Strings reach over his shoulder and grabbed the head of the thug on his back and chucked him into the side of a building before grabbing the one trying to stab him with his shinai and pulled him off of him. While carrying the thug by his head, Orpheus' eyes lit up as the assailants head exploded before the rest of his body became consumed by flames.

Minato turned towards the remaining thugs and saw them all rush at at him. He raised his hand out once more, his expression dead set.

"Destroy them, Orpheus!"

Orpheus spun his lyre in his hand before he gave the strings one last powerful strum. A huge pillar of fire erupted from beneath their feet, consuming them. Once the flames cancelled out, all that remained of the thugs were nothing but charred and smoldering remains of wooden puppets.

"Amazing..." Yagyū muttered.

Ikaruga looked utterly dumbfounded. "So powerful..."

Eventually, the Shinobi Barrier disappeared, causing the blue sky and colorful buildings to return while Orpheus disappeared back into Minato's psyche at the exact same time. Minato felt a strain in the depths of his mind. It had been some time since he had last summoned a Persona and he was immediately reminded of when he summoned his Persona for the first time.

Then, he felt his mind go completely blank.

Minato's arms went limp, his Evoker dropping to the ground. He fell to his knees, feeling every muscle in his body scream in protest and turn to jelly before collapsing to the ground on his stomach.

The thing he could see before he lost consciousness was the four girls standing over him.

It was already sunset now and the streets were almost all empty since people were starting to head home. Katsuragi and Yagyū were carrying the unconscious boy under his arms. Ikaruga was leading them while Hibari followed close behind Yagyū.

"We were attacked by dolls disguised as delinquents. And then this boy summoned that thing by...shooting himself." Ikaruga nearly hesitated to say that last part. "I'm not sure what exactly happened, but one this is clear."

"Those dolls were after us." Yagyū finished.

"All of those dolls had the same aura, didn't they?" Hibari asked. "As if all of them were controlled by the same person."

Suddenly, the pinkette lost her footing when she slipped on a can sitting in the middle of the street. With a scream, she nearly fell backwards until she felt a pair of hands catch her.

"Are you okay?" An older looking girl with blonde hair with curled ends, a pink bow and green eyes asked, smiling while supporting her.

Hibari nodded. "Y-Yeah."

The girl inched her head closer, still smiling. "You really are adorable."

"Huh?"

The girl giggled before releasing Hibari and running off in the opposite direction. "See you!"

Hibari couldn't help but watch the girl leave while smiling as well. "She's so pretty!"

"What's the matter?" Yagyū asked, looking slightly irritated at how close the other girl had gotten to Hibari.

"Oh, nothing." she replied sheepishly.

"Everyone!" The others turned to see a thoroughly soaked Asuka running towards them while waving.

Ikaurga turned to her, looking surprised. "Asuka-san!"

"What happened to you?!" Katsuragi demanded, looking slightly annoyed at the girls tardiness.

After catching her breath, Asuka finally spoke. "Well... I can explain everything." Then her eyes widened when she realized something. "What about the delinquents?"

Ikaruga, however, crossed her arms with a look of disapproval on her face. "Why do you even bother asking when you're this late?"

"They weren't simple delinquents either." Katsuragi added.

Asuka looked confused, yet curious. "What do you mean?"

"Before we tell you," Ikaruga began, "we'll have to get Kiriya-sensei to scold you about your behavior today."

"What?!"

"You'd better prepare yourself for a grueling meditation session."

Asuka sighed with defeat, but that all soon disappeared when she noticed the unconscious boy being supported by Katsuragi and Yagyū.

"Minato-kun?!" She dashed forward and lifted the boys head up to get a better look at his face.

Hibari looked at her with surprise. "Asuka-chan, you know him?"

The brunette nodded. "I met him earlier this morning when I got back. But why is he here? What happened to him?"

"We'll tell you when we get back." Yagyū said. "There's a lot we need to talk about."

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of another building, five other females were having a meeting of their own as well. The blonde girl from before smiled and giggled as she faced one of the other females, who's features were hidden by the glare of the setting sun.

"I could imagine each and every one of them as my wonderful dolls."

The other girl giggled back before turning towards another familiar girl. "So, how was the legendary shinobi's granddaughter?"

Homura let out a snort of laughter with her hands on her hips. "Not nearly as skilled as I expected her to be."

"In other words, Hanzō Academy is full of push-overs. No threat at all." Another shadowy female spoke in a monotonic voice.

"I wouldn't say 'push-overs'." the blonde girl replied with a slight frown. "That boy from before was able to defeat my dolls with relative. He may be a dangerous opponent to go up against."

"Summoning a powerful creature into battle by shooting himself, huh?" Homura gave off a grin. "Sounds like an opponent I'd like to go up against."

Nearby, another girl who appeared slightly smaller than the other four snicked as she held an umbrella over her head. "We can ignore them for now. They'll soon find out who the true shinobi are."

(Play Beauty of Destiny -Persona 4 Golden Special Mix ver.- as the ending theme)

And cut! Holy crap, I was NOT expecting this first chapter to be this long! Still, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Apologies if the fight at the end was too short, I'll be sure to fix that next time. Please leave a review and constructive feedback and be prepared for when the next chapter releases! I'm still in college and still have two more months until summer break, but I will continue to try and put enough time in between my studies so that I can work on updating my stories.

Also, if you are a new reader, please don't forget to check out my other stories Godzilla: Rulers of Earthland and Monsters and Devils!

Until next time, this is Godzilla Boy signing off!

Next Time: Fateful Encounter