Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this fanfiction, Minato and Pharos are under the ownership of ATLUS Entertainment as played in the Game Series: Shin Megami Tensei; this is a work of fanfiction.

AN: This was one I wrote based off a fanart a friend of mine on DeviantART drew that inspired this fanfiction, check out Devious-Rookie's Gallery on DeviantART for the picture in which this is inspired from.

Once upon a time, there was a Prince; he was bound to a state of slumber eternal, many feared that he would never live a normal life, that he would only be bound to an eternal silence, never hearing another's voice. Until he heard the sounds of someone calling out to him, calling out his name within the shadows of the darkness of his room, but was it an illusion, a demon, a creature of his imagination…or…for the once in the young prince's life, a friend? Oh how he wished it was such a person; he did not have many friends because he seemed to seclude himself from the world, locking away all his emotions which blocked out all from entering his fragile world. For the Prince him self was fragile…

Pharos' hand softly clasped a hold of Minato's, his own Prince was asleep before his eyes, in a sense he was asleep; his eyes were closed faintly, but like every night, Pharos would come in an read quietly to the boy the same fabled fairy tale over and over again. Never knowing whether or not Minato even heard it or understood its true meaning, in simple terms, you could almost say, it was a metaphor of his own life, forever locked away in his room away from all human contact until the night fell and when it finally did and he crawled into the safety, his own personal retreat, that was when…

Pharos placed a hand between the pages as he let his other hand softly squeeze at Minato's hand, "I guess that's all we have for tonight, the morning is starting to peek through again and I must leave…"

He always hated leaving, it always meant he would have to leave with the falsified truth he had created in his self created mind that one night, Minato would just open his eyes and whisper something to him and then…

"Good night …sweet prince," Pharos moved his hand away faintly from Minato's as he heard the sure sounds that the boy was asleep, sound asleep to the world, involuntarily blocking out the boy's soft voice.

It was a vicious cycle he was faced with each night, just after the day's wheel of bright sunlight would disappear, he would creep in with the night's wheel turn with the happy thought he would be at Minato's side tonight. And like the turning wheels of the cycles, the morning would begin its murderous act against the night's wheel cycle taking with it not only the darkness the night bright, but another piece of the boy's heart. Oh how he could've wish for more time, to become endlessly lost in the shadows of the room that brought on a cloak of invisibility to hide them away from the World. A World that would never understand them if it ever came to light that Pharos, looked upon Minato as more then just someone that had created him of his subconscious, he had created someone who could feel and wanted Minato to know these feelings.

Yet once again, Pharos found himself perched upon a high rock out looking over all of the vague darkness of his own little world, it was gloomy and dark, there was no light here, and yet…no Minato. His fingers moved to the book they had been reading as his eyes glanced over the next picture that would come with the next night's chapter; the young Prince had found himself running from his fortress, escaping away from something he couldn't see. All he knew was that something was after him, but no matter how far he ran, he couldn't get away from it until he found himself among a glen where the World behind him had seemed to had fade away, leaving him in an open glen.

"Where am I… he heard himself say as he glanced about for a familiar or friendly face, any face would do, he just wanted to hear the sound of another voice but his own," Pharos softly read the tale to himself as he flipped through the page, "But yet, he was in utter silence. The forest had gone dormant for the night, all of the creatures, and mythical beings within its sway branches and twisted limbs had taken their wings, hooves, steps, and wings to flight, stampede, and quickened movements for home and sleep."

The young Prince felt he would cry as his heart was doing; he was lost, alone, frightened and without someone to cry out to, oh Gods above him, how this come to pass, how had he come to be alone without a simple soul to talk to and tell the soul how scared he was to be alone. Alone in this world of darkness where only his dreams could talk to him and one simple person could, but he had never seen the person's face.

"Oh Forest…why do you close yourself to me…why do you not open yourself unto me and reveal to me how I may find happiness within your somber limbs and playful inhabitants, I beseech you…please…just one request…" the boy within the tale had fallen upon his face, his hands and knees as it seemed he started to softly to sob upon the new dew forming upon the grasses of the glen, but the Forest would not heed to his cries.

Pharos turned the page as he saw the events that would forever change the young Prince's life, but as he started to read; he couldn't help but blush as he closed it quickly, he could not truly read this much further should his own, simply invisible heart, should break. The Prince had found the cries of his heart and broken being fulfilled by a simple little creature that had taken pity on him and had opened him to other things that Pharos knew he could never read.

The book found itself beside Pharos as Pharos attempted to sleep with the limited sense he was able to call upon for sleep as he saw that the morning dawn was coming again, which told him that he must sleep should he not see the night. Minato went through his shallow life away from others again until coming home, confiding himself into his room and giving into the calls of the outside world until returning to his room to once again, surrender to the night. Night had come again, but Pharos had not slept well with the images of the young Prince with his new found friend, and oh the things they had done that nearly made Pharos regret taking the book back with him that evening to read to the almost dead to the world Minato. His footsteps were soft for no weight was upon his body as he sat on the side of Minato's bed as he watched the boy softly sleeping; it reminded him of the young Prince in their tale.

"Good evening, Minato, I've brought our story back, I'm going to read a little more tonight, if that's alright with you?" he knew that Minato wouldn't answer back as he cracked open the dusty old book as he began to read where he had stopped.

The Prince's heart was broken that the forest had yet to hear his cry as he curled up against the wet blades of grass of the glen, maybe if he laid in it long enough, some kind of hungry animal would come by and eat him. Ending his loneliness, but when he had all but thought that none had heard his fated cries, a young boy came out of the forest upon hearing his cries. He knelt down in front of the boy as he traced his fingers against his face, lingering around the delicate ways his eyes were closed softly, dancing up through his hair as he felt the boy shifting in his sleep.

"Why do you cry little one…why are you so sad?" the boy of the forest asked the sleeping Prince, "Do not cry, for now…you have a friend…"

The little Prince started to stir as he looked up to see the face of the one speaking to him, but he was in awe of the way the boy was dressed and how slender he looked in the pale moonlight. It was as if the boy had been made by a hand of a God to make him look this way so that he was appeasing and alluring to bring unsuspecting humans to his home to where no one would see them again. He was in awe of the boy before him as he woke up all way as he sat back in shock of the boy before him as he tried to break away, but the boy was quicker.

"I…I…I…I wasn't crying…" the Prince replied as he tried to keep the blush off his face of how close his new friend was to his face, "I had something in my eye…"

Pharos could tell where this was going as he set the book down, as he tried to relieve himself of the anxiety of having to read it; he had read on ahead of what became of the young Prince and his friend. The young boy had taken the young Prince to his home and from there, unspeakable things happened that he didn't dare read because they had prompted that unbridled thoughts of his dreams during the night. And it scared him to even come to see Minato tonight, fear of those thoughts coming to him to give him ideas to try and test them on Minato, but he could never bring himself to do that. Minato was a friend, only a friend, but was it even possible…?

"The morning is starting to dawn again, Minato…and I must leave you, but I think this time…I will leave you with one little reminder that I was here tonight…since I…its hard to know….whether or not you truly remember I was here…" Pharos had a soft blush across his face as he leaned in close, his fingers curling through Minato's hair as he softly brushed his lips against the boy's soft lips.

He couldn't tell if he was blushing or if Minato was even aware of the contact as Pharos moved to straddle over him, he wanted this kiss, his first kiss, to be special as he massaged his lips across Minato's quiet one's before resting his forehead against Minato's silent one, "…Good night…my fair prince…may we again met again…to once again…play…"

When the dawn broke through the window and Pharos had departed, instead of the typical somber scowl across Minato's face that the boy had when he slept, there was a soft, somber smile across his features. He had remembered it all as he awoke to the sound of a voice calling him downstairs to breakfast, today, he could face it with a brighter outlook instead of the gloomy, cold exterior outlook he usually had around people.

"…And good morning to you…creature of the night…that has stolen away my virginity…in a way you have…may we play again tonight, and this time…all of our virginities shall be dispersed from this world…" Minato's mind softly reflected as he moved down the stairs to his families' kitchen to eat breakfast, but with a renewed sense that tonight, when Pharos came back; they would not read the book that night, but, play a game that had been inspired by their late night fairy tale…

The End

For now…it is…Until the player of the Forest comes forth again…to play with the lonely and lost little Prince…