PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

...07/08/2009 Friday; Early Morning ...

President Shuji sat in the command room of the dormitory, engrossed in a book as he waited for the group's return.

Every now and then, he glanced at the computer screen, where old research files were open.

On the monitor, notes about the 13th Arcana stood out, along with a secret he kept to himself and something labeled "Project Akuma."

"The readings the computer picked up aren't a coincidence. He really is the one who could ruin everything... or... he might be a good catalyst," Shuji murmured to himself, a sinister smile crossing his face.

However, upon hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, he quickly composed himself, unplugged a USB drive from the computer, and inserted it into the dormitory's camera system.

When the door opened, Shuji adopted a soft and welcoming expression, as if nothing were amiss.

"I see you managed to take care of the Shadow Arcana. Congratulations... my goodness," he said, his tone shifting to surprise as he saw the group's condition.

They all looked visibly exhausted, their outfits torn and faces smeared with dirt.

Aigis was carrying Hiro, while Minato had Yukari, who had just regained consciousness, on his back.

"Is this the emergency room? Sorry, but I don't have time for paperwork," Akihiko remarked with a sarcastic smile.

Before he could continue, Mitsuru pinched him on the back, making him yelp in pain.

"My back's already sore!" Akihiko complained, rubbing the spot.

"And yet you still make jokes about our situation?" Mitsuru sighed in exasperation.

Shuji, however, focused his attention on Hiro, who was being carried by Aigis. "What happened to Hiro?" he asked, his tone serious.

Fuuka scratched her head, still trying to process what she'd seen. "We're not sure… He seemed to lose control for a moment," she answered hesitantly.

"Lose control? What do you mean?" Shuji asked, crossing his arms, his curiosity piqued.

After a few minutes, everyone settled into the sofas in the command room and began explaining in detail what had occurred.

They recounted their encounter with Strega—other Persona users who had tried to stop them—the fight with the Shadow Arcana, and Hiro's apparent loss of control.

Shuji listened intently, sitting in an armchair, stroking his chin as he got lost in thought.

"Strega… other Persona users trying to prevent us from destroying the Dark Hour," he murmured, contemplative.

"Exactly. And they were probably the ones who lured the Shadow Arcana to the tunnel," Akihiko added, pressing an ice pack against his aching shoulder.

"And there's something else that worries me," Fuuka yawned, exhausted from the fight. "They might try to interfere again during the next full moon."

Meanwhile, Mitsuru was cleaning the blood from Hiro's face when a thought struck her.

"We also need to figure out why Hiro lost control. It couldn't have been the Evoker—it's not capable of making a Persona go berserk," she said, setting the damp cloth aside on the couch.

Shuji pondered Mitsuru's observation, searching for a possible explanation. "Did he use a Theurgy cartridge, by any chance?" he asked, intrigued.

Aigis, who was bandaging Minato's arm, shook her head. "No, only Minato-san and Akihiko-senpai used Theurgy cartridges. Hiro-san simply woke up out of control."

Junpei, recalling the syringe he had used on Hiro, began to feel guilty.

"I… I think I'm the one who caused him to wake up like that," he admitted, searching his pocket.

"What are you talking about?" Minato asked, curious.

Junpei pulled a syringe from his pocket and placed it on the table in the center of the room. "When I went to check on Hiro after the Shadow Arcana attacked him, this fell out of his coat," he explained, pointing at the syringe.

Shuji picked it up and examined it carefully, trying to identify its batch number.

"Hiro had a syringe like this? Iori, do you even know what this syringe does?" Mitsuru asked, puzzled.

"I... I don't know. I thought, if Hiro had something like this on him, it must be medical. And it worked, because as soon as I injected him with it, the wound on his chest closed immediately," Junpei said, raising his hands defensively.

Shuji narrowed his eyes, analyzing the syringe. "How strange… This was made by the Kirijo Corporation. And its batch is from this April," he said, surprised.

"What? My family's company? But what does this syringe do?" Mitsuru asked, incredulous.

"Unfortunately, I don't know what it is," Shuji admitted, leaving everyone shocked.

The thought of Hiro carrying something so mysterious and potentially dangerous put everyone on edge.

"Damn… at least it saved Hiro's life," Junpei muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"But how did Hiro get one of these?" Akihiko asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Suddenly, Hiro began coughing uncontrollably, waking abruptly.

He clutched his chest, feeling an intense burning sensation.

"Hiro! What's wrong?" Fuuka jumped to her feet and ran to him, holding his shoulders, worry etched on her face.

"Water... My throat's so dry..." Hiro rasped, his voice hoarse and dry.

Without hesitation, Aigis dashed out of the command room, leaping down the dormitory stairs and landing on the ground floor with a small thud.

She headed straight to the kitchen to find something for Hiro to drink.

"Hiro, calm down!" Akihiko tried to comfort him, holding him firmly.

"I'm calm, damn it! It's my throat..." Hiro replied, his voice hoarse and impatient.

A few seconds later, Aigis returned with a soda bottle in hand.

"Seriously? Was there no water downstairs?" Junpei asked, surprised.

"This works!" Hiro said, grabbing the bottle from Aigis' hands.

He opened the cap and began gulping it down, feeling his body rehydrate.

After finishing, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned back on the couch.

"Thanks, Aigis." Hiro said, still recovering.

"Hiro, are you sure you're okay?" Akihiko asked, concern still evident in his voice.

"I think so..." Hiro replied, tossing the empty bottle to the side, not caring where it landed.

President Shuji, seated in the armchair observing everything, raised the syringe he'd found earlier. "Hiro, can you explain what this syringe does?" he asked, his tone calm but tinged with suspicion.

Hiro looked at the syringe, remembering it was the inhibitor Shinjiro had given him.

Instinctively, he checked the pocket of his coat and realized it was torn.

Thinking quickly of a lie to protect Shinjiro's secret, Hiro answered, "It's adrenaline I bought... to use during fights."

"Adrenaline? Hiro, you literally went berserk when Junpei injected you with this," Akihiko said, still confused.

"Seriously? I don't remember... I just remember beating the Shadow Arcana... after that, I only remember falling into Mitsuru's arms," Hiro replied, putting a hand to his head, trying to recall anything.

"You don't remember anything?" Fuuka asked gently, placing her hand over Hiro's.

He shook his head, denying it. The conversation with Lucifer felt like a distant dream, a fog in his mind.

All that remained were memories of anger, rage against the Shadow Arcana, and the desperate desire to protect his friends.

"You should rest. We all need to rest," Mitsuru said, placing Hiro's arm around her neck, ready to help him stand.

"Leave me here... I'll go to my room later," Yukari muttered, still exhausted, barely opening her eyes to observe the situation around her.

"No way. I'm taking you to your room," Minato said decisively, standing up and carrying Yukari in his arms.

With Akihiko's help, Mitsuru managed to get Hiro off the couch, and the two began leading him to his room. Minato, carrying Yukari, followed close behind.

Akihiko opened Hiro's bedroom door and, together with Mitsuru, helped him inside.

Hiro could barely keep his eyes open, feeling exhaustion take over his body.

"You can go, Akihiko. I'll take care of him here," Mitsuru said, looking at Akihiko, her voice soft but firm.

"If you say so..." Akihiko yawned, the fatigue evident on his face. "I'll take a shower when I wake up. Good night."

He let go of Hiro's arm and left the room, heading to his own.

Mitsuru guided Hiro to the bed and helped him sit down.

She began removing his tattered coat while he tried to resist.

"You don't need to do this... go to sleep. You're tired too," Hiro murmured, exhausted, as Mitsuru continued to assist him.

"No way. I want to make sure all of you are safe before I rest," Mitsuru replied, determined, as she removed Hiro's boots.

Hiro, feeling the weight of exhaustion, began unbuttoning what was left of his shirt. He lay down on the bed, letting out a sigh of relief as he felt the comfort of the mattress.

"Oh, man... I missed you, bed," Hiro murmured, almost laughing as he sank into the mattress.

Mitsuru, her legs trembling from fatigue, tried to stand and head toward the door, but her exhausted body gave out.

Before she could fall to the floor, Hiro, in a swift motion, stood up and caught her by the waist, preventing her from falling.

Mitsuru's body pressed against Hiro's, her back against his chest.

Their faces were dangerously close, their breaths mingling.

"Are you sure you can make it to your room?" Hiro murmured, his voice filled with concern and fatigue.

Mitsuru, still trying to regain her balance, nodded, though her eyes betrayed how exhausted she was.

"Yes, I can. Don't worry, go rest," she replied, though her voice trembled slightly.

Hiro shook his head, unconvinced. He looked at Mitsuru, someone he deeply respected, and felt the need to protect her, even from herself.

"You don't have to worry so much about me... I can help all of you in Tartarus, but sometimes I feel like dead weight," Hiro murmured, his voice low and sincere, revealing a rare vulnerability.

Hiro's words took Mitsuru by surprise. She had never seen anyone in S.E.E.S as useless, least of all Hiro, one of the strongest among them.

"What are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous," Mitsuru replied, turning to face him. But as she did, their faces grew even closer, the proximity leaving both of them startled.

"Oh..." Hiro muttered, caught off guard, his face immediately turning red.

For a moment, they were frozen, Hiro's eyes locked onto Mitsuru's.

He noticed the soft glow in her crimson eyes, while she saw the faint shimmer in his dark eyes—a glimmer that hadn't been there before, in the eyes of someone emotionally scarred.

Hiro's heart pounded wildly, a mix of embarrassment and nervousness washing over him.

Mitsuru, on the other hand, felt warmth rise to her face, her heart racing as she tried to find a way out of the situation.

The world around them seemed to fade away, as if the outside ceased to exist.

But then Mitsuru blinked a few times, returning to reality and looking away.

Hiro quickly let go of Mitsuru, turning his back, trying to process what had just happened.

"Sorry, I... I didn't mean to..." Hiro began, running a hand over his face, trying to calm down.

"No... it's okay. It was just a coincidence; neither of us was thinking about that," Mitsuru replied, looking away, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"Yeah..." Hiro murmured, scratching his head, both unsure of what else to say.

They stood back-to-back, the silence between them heavy but full of thoughts.

Mitsuru ran a hand through her hair, trying to regain her composure despite the blush still staining her face.

"I... I'll head back to my room. Rest well, okay?" Mitsuru finally said, her voice a bit steadier.

"Yeah, yeah. Could you close the door on your way out?" Hiro asked, pointing to the door, still not turning to face her.

"Of course," Mitsuru replied with a nod.

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. But before leaving completely, she paused and looked at Hiro.

"Good night, Hiro," she said softly, almost in a whisper.

"You too, Mitsuru," Hiro replied, his voice equally low.

Mitsuru closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, reflecting on the unexpected closeness she had just shared with Hiro.

After a few seconds, she shook her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts, and began walking toward her room.

Hiro, now alone, sat on his bed, his thoughts swirling.

He sighed, tired and disheartened, but then remembered the Velvet Room and Igor's words about his destiny.

"Yeah, Mom... I think I'll stay," Hiro murmured to himself, looking at his dirty hands.

Hiro lay down on the bed, trying to push away the memories of the fight against the Shadow Arcana, justice, and the chariot.

Turning to the side, he grabbed the air conditioner remote from his bedside table and turned it on, feeling the cool breeze fill the room.

...I think that after so many struggles, so many challenges in my life, I found a reason to fight. That being protecting everyone from S.E.E.S; They are what I always missed.People I love, like brothers, I love like loved ones. ...

...It's time to let go of my desire to kill myself, and start being someone better...

...The Devil Arcana; Hiro Mikoshi...

^^^THE END OF VOLUME 1^^^