Time Never Waits. It delivers all equally to the same end.

You, who wish to safeguard the future, however limited it may be...

You will be given one year;

Go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide…

4/6 (Night)

Minato stared out of the window as the train rocked gently back and forth. The rhythmic shaking of the train seemed to lull Minato into a trance, as he slipped in and out of awareness. Music played through his speakers, which did well to shut out the outside noise. He glanced down at his MP3, pressing a button to light up the screen. 11:23, it read. He sighed and returned his gaze to the window. It was late. Very late. He was supposed to arrive a few hours ago, but the train had been delayed due to some malfunction in the switching system. But it didn't matter much in the end. He'd still get there. Eventually.

The train slowed until it came to a complete stop. With a loud hiss, the train doors opened up, with the few people remaining on the train shuffling off. Not him, though. His was the last stop. Iwatodai, located in Tatsumi Port Island. He frowned when he thought of the name. He hadn't been here in...10 years or so. Images flashed through his mind, and he winced as a pain shot through out his head. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, cursing himself for forgetting to drink a Yawn-B-Gone before the ride. But, he hadn't known at the time that his train would be delayed 2 hours. He shrugged, leaning his head against the metal pole to his right. He figured he could afford to take a short little nap before he reached his destination, and he couldn't possibly miss his stop. He was about to close his eyes, when something caught his eye. It was brief, but he swore that he saw something outside the window. However, there was nothing. The station was abandoned at this time of night, and any people who had been walking were nowhere in sight.

'Get a grip, Minato,' he thought to himself, 'You're just tired. Get some rest.'

He was about to look away when a flash of blue appeared. Blinking, Minato gazed out of the window, trying desperately to find what was out there. When he was about to give up, he saw it. Outside, was a bright blue butterfly. A chime rang out, and he jumped. The train was about to depart, so it signaled to anyone still remaining that it was about to close its doors and be on its way. He looked back, but the blue butterfly was gone. Suddenly, visions flashed through his head. He saw a bridge, fire, an upturned car, a pure white room, and a strange man with an incredibly large nose, who seemed to stare straight into his very soul.

"Oh no, don't close, don't close!"

Minato glanced up to see a girl appear out of nowhere and barely manage to slide through the closing doors. The doors hissed, seemingly angry that she had taken so long to get on the train, and the train start moving. The girl had fallen to the floor, back against the door, breathing heavily. She looked to be around his age. She was wearing a uniform that was similar to his, black jacket and skirt, with a white buttoned shirt and a large red ribbon.

"Oh man, that was close!" She breathed, "I almost got crushed. I knew I shouldn't have been blaring my music. Silly me!"

She jumped up and brushed her skirt. She gazed into her reflection in the window, and fixed her hair. She had auburn hair, pulled back into a high ponytail. In her hair, she wore silver barrettes. Upon close inspection, they were arranged in different shapes. Two "X"s and two "I"s. Through her reflection, her crimson eyes caught his, and they stared at each other for a brief second. Her face flushed as she spun around.

"A-ah!" She squeaked, "Y-you saw that, didn't you?"

Minato nodded.

She let out an awkward laugh, uncomfortable with the fact that someone had actually seen her fall. However, any sort of discomfort quickly vanished as a large smile appeared.

"Hey, you're wearing the same uniform as me! Are you going to Gekkoukan High?"

Minato nodded again.

Somehow, her already large smile grew even larger, "Oh, that's great! My name's Kotone Shiomi. I'm going to be a second year. Let's get along well this year!"

Minato wasn't really prepared for such enthusiasm. He nodded his head at her.

"Minato Arisato"

She tilted her head, "You don't talk much, do you?"

Minato shrugged.

She giggled, "Well, I do suppose that you come across as the 'Silent and Mysterious' type. I bet a lot of girls are interested in you."

Minato quirked his eyebrow. Who was this girl? She was being very forward, given the fact that they had met only a minute ago. Kotone seemed unaware, or simply uncaring, at her overly forward behavior. She walked over and sat next to him.

"I only just transferred here, too. I assume that you're in the same boat as me, Minato-kun. Say, where are you staying? Do you have relatives here?"

Minato shook his head, "I'm living in a dorm."

A slow smile crept on Kotone's face, "You wouldn't happen to be staying at Iwatodai dorm, would you?"

Minato turned to look at her, and he saw that she triumphantly held out a pamphlet. The same pamphlet that he had, detailing the school and dorm he would be staying at. Minato stared incredulously at the piece of paper, utterly confused. This girl appeared literally out of thin air and started weaseling her way into his life.

"This is really lucky, isn't it, Minato-kun? We're going to the same school, and staying at the same dorm? I'd say it's fate. I'll have to make sure to visit the shrine and make an offering to make sure my luck stays this good!"

Minato raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He resumed his music and shut his eyes. He didn't dislike the girl. She seemed nice, but he had to wonder if she was trying to be friends with him or was only looking for a distraction to pass away the time until they reached their destination. He had known too many girls like that in his older schools. Girls that were friendly on the outside, but were really superficial and cared only for themselves on the inside.

'No attachments, Minato,' he chided himself, 'You're not staying here. You never stay. Why plant roots when the tree has to be uprooted?'

A minute passed, and Minato couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He knew who the culprit was, but refused to acknowledge her. Another minute passed. Nope. Another. Not gonna happen. And another. And another. Reluctantly, Minato slowly opened one eye, to see Kotone staring at him, expectantly. She met his gaze and smiled.

"What are you listening to?" Before he could decide to ignore her, she reached out and grabbed one of his headphones and put it up to her ear. She listened intently for a couple of seconds, determined to figure out what song was playing. A flash of recognition crossed her face, and she grinned, "Oh, I love this song!" She sang along quietly with the singer, swaying slightly back and forth. It looked like she didn't plan to give it back.

Minato sighed, 'It's going to be a long ride.'

They arrived at the station at 11:50. Minato walked at a brisk pace, with Kotone following closely behind. She made idle chit-chat, but Minato had ignored her, favoring his music. They walked through the deserted station, eager to get to their destination. As they approached the exit, Minato checked his phone. The time was 11:59. They weren't going to make it to their destination for another half hour, at least. Sighing, he jammed his phone back into his pocket. He continued walking.

Suddenly, a sudden chill washed over him. Before he could react, the music stopped. He stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced down and examined his MP3. It was off. He tried pressing the play button a few times, but it stayed off. Minato could have sworn that he had charged it before the trip. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to face Kotone, who was looking around worriedly.

'Which means that she felt that too.'

Minato looked at the station, which had suddenly turned an eerie shade of green. All of the electronics were off, and the walls and floor seemed to be covered in a strange filth. Minato didn't like this at all. He needed to get out of here. Was this the only place like this or...

Despite his misgivings about her, Minato grabbed Kotone's hand, "Let's go." She followed without a word.

As they stepped out of the station, Minato's worst fear had been confirmed. It wasn't just the station that seemed to change. No, in fact, the whole world seemed different. Coffin-like objects were lining the deserted city, and the sky had that same eerie green color. And the moon. The moon was large, larger than Minato had ever seen. In fact, he assumed that it wasn't supposed to be this large. It wasn't quite full, but it was still a sight to behold.

"W-w-what the heck is going on?" Kotone's voice brought him out of his trance. He glanced at her, and she was obviously frightened by this ghastly sight. She started off down the road, this time pulling Minato, "Come on, we should get to the dorm. And quickly."

After walking for short time, they had managed to make it to the dorm. They quickly entered inside, eager to leave the horrors of the outside world. Kotone let out a sigh of relief as Minato shut the door behind them. The dorm looked quite normal from the outside, considering, and it seemed quite normal on the inside. There was a small lounge with a few couches and chairs, a large table with many chairs, and what looked like an entrance to a kitchen. Minato noticed a light switch, and tried flicking it up and down. No good, the power was still out.

"Welcome!"

Minato and Kotone jumped at the voice. In front of them, sitting on table, was a small boy. The boy had pale skin and striking blue eyes, and was wearing a black and white stripped outfit. He smiled at Minato.

"You're late," he chided, "I've been waiting a long time."

Minato continued to stare at the boy. Suddenly, the boy pulled out a slip of paper and held it out to Minato.

"If you want to proceed, then please sign here. It's a contract."

Minato eyed the paper wearily, trying to read what was on it, but at this distance and in the dark, it was impossible to make out. But, what was it for? For staying at the dorm?

The boy could sense Minato's hesitation, and giggled, "There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

Minato's eyes widened. What? Was this for real? It was just one weird thing after another. Minato took the contract and read it. He expected a long document, detailing standard procedures for living in a dorm, but in reality, it was a single sheet of paper, with a single sentence on it.

"I chooseth this fate of mine own free will."

Below was a blank line for his signature. Minato turned the paper over, trying to see if there was anything else on the paper. There wasn't. Just that sentence. He looked at the boy, who offered him a pen and a smile.

'Why do I feel like I'm signing away my soul?' Minato thought as he read the sentence over and over gain

"Um... Don't I have to sign a contract, too?" asked Kotone.

The boy cocked his head, and thought for moment, but shook his head, "No, only he has to."

Kotone looked at Minato, worry etched across her face. Minato was surprised that she was so concerned about him, and he felt like he had to reassure her.

"I'll sign it." He grabbed the paper out of the little boys hand and shot Kotone a reassuring glance, "Don't worry. It'll be fine." Minato signed his name and returned the contract to the boy. The boy smiled as he took the form.

"Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away."

The boy lifted the form into the air and lowered his hand, but the paper remained in the air. The form spun, and as it spun, vanished into nothingness. The boy leapt off the table and rocked on his heels.

"And so it begins..."

And with that, the boy vanished, like the contract. Minato and Kotone stared at the space where the boy was. They looked at each other, trying to figure out what the hell was happening. Suddenly, someone ran down the stares into the lobby.

"...Who's there!?"

Minato and Kotone jumped and stared at a girl in a pink jacket. She had brown hair and eyes. She was wearing a skirt, that was almost painfully short, and Minato had a hard time not staring at her legs. She was scared, and her hand was shaking. She stared back at the two, disbelief in her eyes.

"How can you be... But it's...! Don't tell me..."

Her hand twitched and went for something on her leg. It looked like... a gun. Minato started to panic and heard Kotone take in a sharp breath. She had seen the gun, too.

"Wait!"

Another voice rang out from upstairs. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Minato lowered his stance, ready to dive out of the way, Kotone took a step back, and the girl reached for the gun.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and Minato had to shut his eyes due to the sudden, blinding light. Music blared from his headphones, which caused Kotone to squeak in surprise. Minato hastily reached for his MP3 and paused the song. Another girl had joined them. She had long, elegant red hair and wore a similar uniform to everyone. She gave Minato and Kotone a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you two would arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

The pink jacket girl shifted uncomfortably, warily eyeing Minato and Kotone, "Who're they?" she whispered.

"They're transfer students. It was a last minute descision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to a room in a normal dorm."

The girl was relaxed, but was still wary of the two. She leaned closer to Mitsuru, "...Is it okay for them to be here?"

Mitsuru smiled, "I guess we'll see." She turned from the girl and faced the two transfer students, "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a second year, just like you."

Yukari gave a tentative wave, "Hello."

Kotone, to her credit, no longer seemed to be fazed by the events of the night and smiled, "I'm Kotone Shiomi. Nice to meet you."

Minato gave a curt nod, "I'm Minato Arisato." His gaze fell lower to the gun holstered on Yukari's leg. He was tempted to let this go, but he needed to make sense of at least one thing tonight, "Why do you have a gun?"

Kotone gave him a small shove, voicing her displeasure at the fact that he had asked such a blunt question, but Minato noticed the hint of doubt flash in her eyes. She wanted to know, too.

Yukari's eyes widened, "Huh?" She pulled at her skirt and started to fidget, "Um, well, it's..."

Mitsuru could sense her discomfort, and jumped to her rescue, "It's for self-defense. We've had a number of break-ins in the neighborhood recently, and we can't take a chance. But, don't worry. It's not a real gun, of course."

Minato stared at the gun for a few more seconds, and slowly nodded. It was an obvious excuse, one that was plainly rehearsed, but he didn't press the matter any further. Mitsuru sensed this as well, and proceeded to turn towards the stairs.

"It's getting late. Arisato, you'll find your room on the second floor, at the end of the hall. Shiomi, yours is at the end of the hall on the third floor. Both of your things should be here. I suggest you tuck in for the night." And with that, she ascended the stairs with a grace that seemed to suit her perfectly.

Yukari paused for a second, but turned and smiled at the two transfer students, "Well, I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Kotone started, but Minato grabbed her sleeve to stop her. She started to turn, but Minato leaned close to her.

"Don't mention what happened tonight to Takeba-san."

Kotone blinked, and was about to say something, but decided against it. She nodded, and ran to catch up to Yukari, who was waiting on the stairs for them. Minato followed after them. They walked down the hall and stopped outside a door, which Minato assumed was his room. He walked up to it and opened it, glancing inside.

"Pretty easy to remember, huh? ...Since it's right at the end of the hall." Yukari was obviously trying to ease the tensions, but seemed to only add to the silence that filled the dorm. She looked at the two transfer students, "So, any questions?"

Minato looked to Kotone, who stared back at him. They maintained eye contact for a brief instant, then both of them shook their heads.

"No, we're good, Yukari-san. Thank you, though." answered Kotone.

Yukari smiled, but then grew serious. She started to fidget and look around. She leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice, "Um... Can I ask you two something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Minato spoke up almost instantly, "Yes."

Yukari stared at Minato warily, but shook her head, "I see... Never mind then." She started to walk away, but stops, "Um, I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay?"

Minato nods as Yukari heads up the stairs. Now, the only people left were Kotone and Minato alone. She turns back from watching Yukari leave and gives Minato a smile, "Well, Minato-kun, it looks like this is going to be an interesting year, huh?"

Minato nodded.

She giggles, "You only use words when you have to, don't you? Well, I'm going to change that. You'll open up to me before the year is through. I'm making it my official mission."

Despite himself, Minato chuckled, "Goodnight, Kotone-san."

Kotone blinked, and her cheeks gained a hint of red, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. She gave the smile that Minato was growing used to seeing on her face, "Goodnight, Minato-kun." And she was gone up the stairs.

Minato entered his room and closed the door. It was a small room. There was a bed, a TV, a desk and chair, a mirror and sink, and a shelf. Posters adorned the wall, ones that he hadn't put up, and assumed were left by the previous tenant. As Mitsuru had said, all of his stuff was here. Though, he hadn't packed much. He was used to moving all over the country, and packing light was essential. He couldn't afford to get tied down, physically and emotionally. He didn't know how long he'd stay in Tatsumi Port Island, but he knew that he would one day have to leave. He discarded his clothes and hung them in his closet. He climbed in bed, exhausted from the day's strange events. He reached over to his bedside table, where he had placed his MP3. He glanced at the screen. Yes, he was right. He had fully charged his MP3 before the trip. It didn't die when he got here. No, the power had gone out. Not just plugged in electronics, as he had originally assumed, but all technology seemed to stop. He hadn't checked his phone, but he assumed it was the same. He shut off his MP3 and stared at his ceiling. Something was definitely up, and he knew that Yukari and Mitsuru were hiding something, but what, he couldn't say. What had happened on the way to the dorm? Who was that boy and what was the deal with that contract? Why had he had to sign it, and not Kotone?

Kotone.

"It looks like this is going to be an interesting year, indeed."